Teen pleads guilty in fire that damaged Arnold school

HILLSBORO, Mo. (AP) -- Sentencing will be in July for one of three teenagers charged in a fire that left a Jefferson County school badly damaged.

Johnathan Furey pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of exploding or igniting fireworks near a school and property damage. He is 19.

Prosecutors say the fire was not intentional, but was the result of carelessness. Officials say Furey and two others shot fireworks near Fox Elementary School in Arnold last July, then discarded some that were still smoldering.

A trash container caught fire and ignited the school.

The other two defendants go to court next month.

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Information from: KSDK-TV, http://www.ksdk.com