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NEWS
Man pleads guilty to arson that displaced 12
Quinton Kennie
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- A Huntington man has pleaded guilty to setting a fire that destroyed an apartment building in the 800 block of 9th Street West in Huntington.
Quinton L. Kennie, 24, was convicted of first-degree arson after entering the plea Wednesday in Cabell Circuit Court, according to Prosecutor Chris Chiles.
Kennie admitted guilt to the full criminal indictment, and not a reduced charge.
The apartment building was destroyed by fire Feb. 2, during a rash of arsons that struck the Huntington area. The blaze displaced about 12 residents of the building.
Chiles said he was not surprised that Kennie chose to plead guilty to the full charge.
"He has a minimal criminal history, and maybe a chance of probation," Chiles said. "We're going to recommend eight years in prison, but we're going to leave it up to the judge."
Kennie is set to be sentenced in October.
He is not a suspect in any of the other dozens of suspicious fires that began in early November 2011 and continued through June of this year.
Chiles said his office is "making a lot of progress" on those other cases.
"We're seeing a lot of people plead guilty to those arsons, so I think we're doing a good job," he said.
