LANCASTER – A Lancaster County 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 to conspiring with others to set multiple fires that caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage. 24-year-old Joshua Lightcap of Columbia pleaded guilty 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. Lightcap told the court he had “no idea” why he set the fires. 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 over $55,000 in restitution.
JOSHUA LIGHTCAP