Horace Eugene Bost, 40, of Newton, will spend six to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted second-degree arson and admitting his status as a habitual felon during Catawba County Superior Court on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.
The Honorable William Long, Superior Court Judge from Iredell County, imposed the terms of the plea arrangement after Bost entered the guilty plea.
The defendant will serve his period of incarceration in the custody of the North Carolina Division of Adult Corrections.
His sentence was enhanced by prior felony convictions for breaking/entering in Catawba County (February 2018 and June 2013) and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury (April 2009), also in Catawba County.
Officers from Newton Police Department responded to a call for an unoccupied residence being on fire on March 23, 2023. When they arrived, officers saw Bost around the residence, and he ran back inside the home while it was burning. He attempted to exit the back of the home where he was detained.
Further investigation revealed that several eyewitnesses saw the defendant throw something into the house just before it burst into flames and heard him make a comment about letting it burn. Bost later admitted that he started the fire.
The case was investigated by E.T. Jones of Newton Police Department. Assistant District Attorney Ryan Crofts handled prosecution for the State with assistance from Legal Assistant Britnee Ulsamer.