SC man gets prison for setting fire, robbing store

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for setting a fire in one store to cover for a robbery at a nearby jewelry store.

The Island Packet of Hilton Head reports 31-year-old Andre Leon DeCosta of Bluffton was sentenced to 10 years for grand larceny and 15 years for burglary and arson.

Circuit Judge Thomas Cooper imposed the sentence Wednesday after a trial.

Prosecutors say DeCosta set a fire at a store that sold fans last November. They say he broke into a nearby jewelry store minutes later.

A second defendant faces charges but no trial date has been set.

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Information from: The Island Packet, http://www.islandpacket.com