A plea deal was reached Thursday morning in Christian Circuit Court for the man who set fire to a Pennyroyal Mental Health crisis house in October of last year.
Twenty-three-year-old Brandon Seeley appeared with public defender Doug Moore, who noted that the Kentucky Correctional Psychiatric Center determined Seeley to have mental illness and intellectual disability, but that he is competent and understood that his actions were criminal.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jerad Smith explained that Seeley is pleading guilty, but mentally ill to an amended charge of attempted second-degree arson as part of a deal that comes with a five-year sentence. While the Commonwealth opposes probation, Smith says he’d be neutral to shock probation if suitable housing placement is found for Seeley by the department of public advocacy.
Seeley will remain incarcerated in the meantime, pending final sentencing.
He told Judge John Atkins that he came to Hopkinsville from Scottsville due to a placement at Western State Hospital and he was placed in the crisis house when he was discharged from Western State.
There were two other people inside the house when Seeley set a fire, which was put out with a fire extinguisher by an employee.
Hopkinsville police alleged at the time that Seeley said he had done it in an attempt to kill everyone inside in the hopes of being sent back to Western State Hospital.