Pennsylvania Man Linked to Arson by GPS Pleads Guilty

A western Pennsylvania trucker linked to arson by his truck’s global positioning device will spend up to 10 years in prison.

Forty-eight-year-old Thomas Reinhardt, of New Brighton, was sentenced after pleading guilty to arson and causing a catastrophe before Beaver County Judge John Dohanich.

Reinhardt must also pay $344,900 to two families whose homes caught fire when he set fire to his home on April 5.

Reinhardt initially told police he was at a Butler County rest stop when the fire broke out. But GPS records from Reinhardt’s trucking company showed his rig was parked about 100 yards from his house.

Police say he was going through a divorce and was behind on his mortgage. He must undergo mental health counseling.