The owner of the “rage room” in northeastern Pennsylvania received 3 months of house arrest for setting fire to his business – The Morning Call

The owner of a rage room in Lucerne County, who set fire to his business in a state of intoxication and legal herbal substances, was sentenced on Thursday to probation with three months of house arrest.

32-year-old Michael Beck pleaded guilty in March to arson and a crime of injuring a child for setting fire to his business The Rage Room, located at 247 Main St., Shickshinny, on the night of July 1, 2021. .

The Madness Room allows paying customers to vent their frustration by smashing things with baseball bats, golf clubs or sledgehammers. In court on Thursday, Beck issued an emotional apology, saying he regretted the impact of the incident on his family, including his son, and that he would never commit such a crime again.

“I just can’t believe the mistake I made. It was not in my character at all, ”Beck said. “I’m sorry about everything I did.”

Dr. Richard Fishbain, a forensic psychiatrist from Kingston, testified in defense that Beck, who had no criminal history, was overworked and tired when he used an over-the-counter herbal compound known as lattice, which acts on the same opioid receptors as the opioid brain. morphine.

“He had to take two capsules. He took three. He also drank six beers. Bad combination, ”Fishbein said. “He has faint memories of what happened. But it is not typical for him, and it is a perfect storm. ”

It is reported that the fire occurred near the town of Beach Haven, initially trapped, possibly a resident. The report of the involvement was unfounded, and firefighters quickly stopped the blaze.

Beck’s stepfather told the court on Thursday that the steel building was fireproof and had not received permanent damage. The defense, led by attorney Franklin Earl Kepner Jr., has asked for a suspended sentence for Beck, who has already served 30 days in jail for the crime.

Assistant District Attorney James McManagle opined that the lattice should not be readily available in stores, and said Beck fled to Dublin, Ohio, before being captured. Lucerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklaroski Jr. agreed that people were “shocked or alarmed” by the incident, and offered Beck some precautionary advice.

“You must be responsible for everything you bring into your body,” the judge said. “If you accept this, you must suffer the consequences.”

He sentenced Beck to four years probation with three months in house arrest. Beck was sent to the District Probation Office to begin serving his sentence.

(c) 2022 The Citizens’ Voice (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania)

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