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Mt. Morris man sentenced to 1 to 5 years in prison for arson
Paul Stephen Grim, 32, entered the plea to charges of arson and criminal mischief. In addition to the prison sentence, Grim was ordered to pay $1,300 in fines and $70,000 in restitution.
Grim was accused of setting fire to the home of Gretel Bebout at 557 Mt. Morris Road on June 30. According to the criminal complaint, Bebout is the mother of Grim's estranged wife, Valorie Grim. Valorie and Paul Grim also had lived in the residence for a time.
The day before the fire, Valorie Grim testify against Paul Grim in a domestic battery case in West Virginia, police said. The victim of that case, Whitley Leigeber, 19, was living with Paul Grim in a camper adjacent to the burned residence.
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Leigeber also said she heard Grim say, "I told you I wasn't playing games anymore," according to police. No one was injured in the fire.
Grim also was sentenced Wednesday on charges of institutional vandalism and possessing weapons or implements for escape.
He pleaded guilty to the charges Jan. 7. For these charges, he received a sentence of 9 to 18 months in jail, which will run concurrent with the sentence for arson.
According to the criminal complaint, corrections officers at the Greene County Jail received information on Sept. 10 that Grim was planning to escape.
The officers searched his cell and found two places in the block where Grim had removed mortar and caulking.
The officers also found a piece of steel about 10-iches long with a cloth wrapped around one end to serve as a handle, a razor blade, partial razor blade and an unauthorized civilian shirt, police said.
