CLEARFIELD – A Punxsutawney man accused of setting fire to the Gibby’s Warehouse in DuBois has pleaded guilty.
Zachary Thomas Coombs, 21, 1025 Big Run Prescottville Rd., Punxsutawney, was sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to arson, risking a catastrophe, three counts of criminal mischief, burglary, theft by unlawful taking and 10 counts of recklessly endangering another person.
He was given a three to six-year sentence by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman. An original plea agreement for an 18-month minimum sentence was rejected by Ammerman, who asked for a three-year minimum sentence.
Coombs’s attorney, Douglas Campbell, argued for a lower maximum sentence, but Ammerman said although he didn’t want to send a 21-year-old man to state prison, the maximum sentence in this case had to be six years.
Coombs must pay almost $300,000 in restitution.
Ammerman noted that “this was a very serious fire” with numerous area fire departments responding.
“Thank goodness no one got killed,” he said.
Also charged in this case was Timothy J. Young, 19, 1406 Million Dollar Hwy., Kersey. He pleaded guilty to burglary, three counts of criminal mischief and criminal trespass.
Ammerman sentenced him to nine months to 18 months in the county jail and two years consecutive probation. It was noted that Young cooperated with authorities in the investigation. He was fined $350 plus costs and must pay $477.50 in restitution.
According to the affidavits of probable cause, the fire was considered suspicious after fire department personnel noticed the side door of the building was pried open. The building had been spray painted with “DTY” and “bomb.” That same night several other buildings in the area were marked with these words.
Police received information Jan. 6 from a witness who said Coombs and Young had stayed at his East Park Avenue residence. Coombs had painted the word “bomb” on his daughter’s bedroom wall.
The witness later found comic books, a knife with a train engraved on the blade, a flashlight, costume jewelry and a photograph had been brought into his home by the two men.
Young was questioned on Jan. 7 and admitted that he and Coombs had walked around town and tagged buildings. They tried to get into the Gibby’s Building after they stopped at the Dollar Store but it was locked with a pad lock, he said. They returned to the witness’ residence.
After midnight they climbed out of a window and walked back to Gibby’s, according to Young. He said Coombs had a flat head screwdriver with him that they used to pry open the door at the Gibby’s building.
Coombs located a flashlight that assisted them in looking around the building. Coombs found comic books, a knife and a binder full of cards that he kept. Young said he didn’t find anything he wanted.
After they found a can of spray paint, they used it to spray motorcycles inside the building.
Young told police that Coombs kept saying they should burn the building down. He found a can of lighter fluid and said they could use it but he did not spray the fluid around. They walked outside because Coombs wanted to show Young how cans of jell that they found in the building stay lit but the wind kept blowing them out. They went back into the building where Coombs lit the cans again near a locker inside the door. Young said he went back outside at this point and Coombs stayed inside for two or three minutes.
They tagged the building and other buildings as they walked around. Before returning to the witness’ residence Coombs told Young that he had put pallets on top of the flames that he lit when Young left the Gibby’s building. They returned to the witness’ residence and climbed back in through the window, Young said.
Two other witnesses told police that Coombs told them that he had started the fire.
When police spoke with Coombs he was wearing a camouflage cap with “bomb” written on the bill. He explained that “bomb” is his tag because he’s been described as a short fuse bomb.
He admitted to tagging some of the buildings but said they never went inside the Gibby’s building. He said he wouldn’t go in there because of all the bad things that happened to his friends there and it should be burnt to the ground.
When asked if he did try to burn it to the ground, he responded “if I wanted to burn the building down I would do it right.”
He changed his story several times but eventually admitted to being in the building and taking the items found at the witness’ residence. He said they were lighting spray cans when the flame came back onto the nozzle. He said he threw the can before it blew up and they left.
While Coombs was incarcerated in the Jefferson County Jail, he sent his father a letter admitting to setting the fire.
“I burndt down Gibbies,” he wrote. The letter goes on to say he saw himself as a “philanthropist” and claimed multiple girls were raped or people attempted to rape them in the building.
“I officially had nothing to lose but my freedom,” he wrote.
According to previous reports, the building sustained more than $500,000 damage, a fire truck suffered damage costing more than $13,600 and damage to the buildings that were spray painted is estimated at $830.
