Former Hempfield firefighter sentenced to county prison, probation after pleading guilty to intentionally setting fires
A Columbia man who previously served as a firefighter with the Hempfield Volunteer Fire Department was sentenced to one year minus a day to two years minus a day in county prison plus three years of probation after he pleaded guilty this month to conspiring with others to set multiple fires that caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage.
In handing down the sentence Judge Jeffrey Conrad told Joshua Scott Lightcap, of the 700 block of Ridge Avenue, that people typically admire firefighters because of their dedication to protecting others.
“But if things had gotten out of control,” Judge Conrad said, “people could have died.”
Lightcap, 24, pleaded guilty on March 9 to 19 different offenses including arson and criminal conspiracy to commit arson, among other charges.
Not only did the five fires that Lightcap and two others set in October and November 2024 cause more than $55,000 in damage to multiple properties across East Hempfield Township, but sustained winds at the time imperiled the firefighters who were dispatched to battle one of the blazes, said First Assistant District Attorney Travis Anderson, who prosecuted the case.
Two of the fires were set in the same field in the 6100 block of Metzler Road mere days apart. A third fire set in the 1300 block of Junction Road damaged corn bales and other agricultural materials.
A fourth fire set in a shed in the 200 block of Leisure Road damaged outdoor equipment and tools.
Yet another blaze in the 100 block of East Main Street damaged a 120-year-old Amtrak storage shed that was later forced to be demolished in order to prevent the structure from disrupting operations on a nearby active railway, Anderson said.
When asked by Judge Conrad as to why he set the blazes, Lightcap told the court he had “no idea,” adding that he let other people persuade him into taking destructive actions. An attorney representing Lightcap said that he suffers from multiple mental health issues which were untreated at the time of the offenses.
As part of his sentence Lightcap must also pay more than $55,000 in restitution to multiple victims whose property was damaged in the fires.
East Hempfield Township Police Officer Brian Dilliplaine and Amtrak Lancaster Police Officer Robert Weidner filed the charges.
