Page 40 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch July 12, 2013 Notorious Arsonist Gets 12 Years By SHAWN J. SOPER NEWS EDITOR SNOW HILL – A Virginia man found guilty in April on arson and other charges after purposely setting fire to a vacant building in the south end of Worcester County in 2012 was sentenced last week to 20 years in jail, all but 12 were suspended. In April, David Clifton Parks, 38, of Melfa, Va., was found guilty of second-degree arson, malicious burning and reckless endangerment for purposely setting fire to a vacant building on Sheephouse Road in Pocomoke in April 2012. Back in court last week, Parks was sentenced to a combined 20 years in jail, with eight suspended, netting him a total of 12 years. He was also placed on supervised probation for five years including GPS monitoring, and was ordered to take mandatory alcohol and mental health counseling during his incarceration. Parks was also ordered to pay a combined $2,900 in restitution to the victims. During the sentencing hearing, Parks admitted he was a chronic arsonist and told Judge Thomas Groton he “had a problem with setting fires.” Presumably in the interest of gaining a lesser sentence for his client, Parks’ defense attorney told the judge Parks was a firefighter. However, Groton quickly corrected the attorney. “He was a firefighter back in 2006 when he was convicted of arson in Wicomico County,” he said. “He was not a firefighter in 2012.” Worcester County Fire Marshal Jeff McMahon also testified at Parks’ sentencing hearing and told the court the nature of the arson at a vacant building should not have a bearing on the sentence. “With the conviction of two arsons, it is clear Mr. Parks has a problem,” said McMahon. “Although the fire he set was in an unoccupied structure, the hazards to the responding firefighters still exist. These firefighters are volunteers and in addition to being placed in harm’s way during the suppression of the fire, they also may be injured responding to and returning from a fire.” For Parks, the conviction and subsequent sentencing in Worcester came on the heels of a similar outcome in Wicomico County about seven years ago. In 2006, Parks was charged with setting several fires and pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree arson, two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of second-degree arson. He was sentenced to 20 years for first-degree arson with all but eight years suspended. For the two counts of reckless endangerment, he was sentenced to five years each, and he was sentenced to eight years for the second-degree arson count. FLAG FOOTBALL AND CHEERLEADING FOR GRADES K5-6TH Registration July 16 and July 23 6-8pm at Sonrise Church 10959 Worcester Highway • Berlin, MD 21811 Phone: 410-629-1901 TRY OUR CRAB AND CHEDDAR OMELET Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-8 a.m. this week’s open houses CALL AGENTS FOR DIRECTIONS View more open houses at www.mdcoastdispatch.com/open_houses.php OCEAN CITY Makai Condominiums 42nd St. Bayside Sat & Sun 10-4 New Construction 2BR & Studio Condos Ben Dawson The Fritschle Group/ Condominium Realty 410-603-2205 NORTH OCEAN CITY Holly Point #C3 13501 Holly Lane Sat 12-2 1BR/1.5BA Townhouse w/ Deeded Boat Dock Laurie Duncan Century 21 443-460-8827 OCEAN CITY 14107 Laurel Ave Caine Woods Sun 10-1 Spacious 4BR/2BA Home Annie Buxbaum The Fritschle Group/ Condominium Realty 443-235-0878 OCEAN VIEW 37618 Birch Street Shady Dell Park Sun 12-2 3BR/2BA Mobile Home Pool with Deck Laurie Duncan Century 21 443-460-8827 OCEAN CITY Sunset Island 67th St & The Bay Open Fri, Sat & Sun Condos, Townhomes, Single Family Homes Luxury Resort Living Terry Riley Vantage Resort Realty 443-880-0512 OCEAN PINES 6 Brush Island Court The Parke Sat 12-3 3BR/2BA Single Family Home 2-Car Garage Cindy Poremski Prudential PenFed 410-430-9988 OCEAN CITY The Gateway Grand Two 48th Street Oceanfront Daily 10-5 Fully Furnished Penthouse Residences The Fritschle Group/ Condominium Realty 877-260-2710 LARGEST OMELETS ON THE BEACH! Best Homemade Creamed Chipped Beef 19th St. & Baltimore Ave. Ocean City, Md. Open Daily 7 a.m., Open Until 3 p.m. On Weekends 410-289-5080 2-2-2 EARL BIRD Y SPECIAL 2 PANCAKES, 2 EGGS WITH BACON $3.99 AGENTS: List Your Featured Properties And Open Houses On Our Website For Just $20/Month. Call Jeanette, 410-641-4561, For More Information. Peace ... And Have A Great Summer