Orange County prosecutors said during the sentencing on Tuesday that Tyler Williams took “painstaking efforts” to find the address on the internet and thought he was burning down the trooper’s own house.
Instead, officials say the 26-year-old used accelerant the week of Christmas 2023 to burn down the trooper’s childhood home in Warwick where the trooper’s father and two siblings lived.
Williams apologized in court before the sentence was handed down by Judge Craig Brown. He previously pleaded guilty to arson and admitted that his actions were in retaliation for the traffic ticket in Middletown the day before.
Prosecutors said the trooper’s father and two siblings were sleeping inside the home when it was set on fire. They were not hurt during the incident.
Williams’ defense attorney said his client’s actions took away William’s future and that the defendant understands he made a terrible mistake.
During the sentencing, Brown called the conduct “callous and egregious.”
Williams will also serve five years of post-release supervision as part of his sentence. A hearing to discuss restitution to reimburse the trooper’s family for a $1,600 insurance deductible is scheduled for later this month.