Gasconade County Republican

A Gerald man will learn his fate later this year after pleading guilty to setting fire to and destroying the Leslie Depot back in August of 2008.

In a press release from United States Attorney Richard G. Callahan’s office, Jason D. Stahlman, 32, Gerald, plead guilty to one felony count of arson before United States District Judge Rodney W. Sippel yesterday (Tuesday).

When Stahlman is sentenced in April, he will face a range of five to 20 years in prison and/or fines of  up to $250,000.

Early in the morning on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008, deputies with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department were the first to arrive on the scene of the fire after a 911 call reported a broken window with a rag hanging out of it.

Residents on either side of the burning building were awakened by a deputy and told to evacuate for their safety.

A total of seven fire departments fought the blaze and they included Beaufort-Leslie, Sullivan, St. Clair, Washington, New Haven-Berger, Union and Gerald-Rosebud.

Ruled suspicious immediately after the fire was put out, Franklin County Fire Investigator Jim Schuhmacher, a Missouri State Fire Marshall and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms all had roles in investigating the cause of the fire. Franklin County deputies also guarded the site of the fire that weekend until the ATF was able to arrive in Leslie.

To this date, the Leslie Depot is still in the process of rebuilding and more information on that process will be published in a future Gasconade County Republican when it becomes available.

Editor’s Note: Information for this story came partially from a press release from United States Attorney Richard G. Callahan and from a file story written by Republican Staff Writer Linda Trest.

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