zolnierek / Depositphotos.com
MAPLE GROVE, WI (WSAU) – An 18-year-old in Shawno County was sentenced to one year in jail and five years of probation on Friday after setting off a campfire explosion that injured over a dozen people during a backyard get-together.
According to WLUK-TV, Sam Armstrong made his appearance in Shawano County Court on Thursday and entered a not-guilty plea to charges of reckless use of an explosive that resulted in injury.
On October 14, 2022, Armstrong and other teenagers were at a bonfire in Maple Grove, when Armstrong threw a barrel into the fire that contained a mixture of gasoline and diesel. The explosion caused at least 17 of the approximately 60 individuals present to be burned, according to authorities.
Armstrong was “trying to be cool in front of all of his friends,” according to Benjamin Van Asten, one of the explosion victims who testified in court on Thursday and a criminal complaint states that Armstrong admitted to authorities that he was unaware that his activities would set off an explosion or cause injuries to people and that he had consumed alcohol at the gathering.
Comments