Suspected firebug pleads guilty in separate felony case
Lincoln County Courthouse. (Paul Sievers/The Western News)
A Eureka man still facing multiple arson charges has pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon in Lincoln County District Court.
Leroy Robert Morris, 68, changed his plea June 28 after striking a deal with prosecutors. A separate case, one that arose after a string of fires in north Lincoln County last summer, once seemed headed toward a jury trial, but Morris' attorney has since requested a change of plea hearing.
The assault with a weapon charge stems from run in Morris had with residents near Therriault Pass Road on Aug. 14, 2020. The nearby property owners heard gunshots and ventured out to investigate, coming across Morris.
Court documents said Morris pulled a handgun upon discovery and began yelling obscenities. He told them to leave and leveled his weapon at them, according to an affidavit.
While Morris left before law enforcement personnel arrived, the residents took a photograph of him, court documents said.
Authorities investigating the incident caught up with Morris at his home the following day. In a conversation with Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Morris admitted to confronting the residents, but denied aiming a firearm at them.
He acknowledged, though, that he had a gun on him during the incident, court documents said. Deputy Bo Pitman, recounting the conversation in an affidavit, wrote that Morris said he carried a firearm more frequently “in these times.” Morris talked about the end of the world and also expressed frustration with people confronting him on public lands, Pitman wrote.
In the days preceding and following the confrontation, first responders doused multiple fires in north Lincoln County, including one near the location of the dispute. Eventually, enough evidence emerged to link Morris to the fires that authorities secured a warrant to monitor his activities.
He was arrested during a traffic stop without incident on Aug. 29. He initially faced six counts of arson in Lincoln County District Court. Prosecutors would eventually charge him with 12 counts of arson. In the interim, he was brought up on the assault with a weapon charge.
His sentencing on the latter charge was scheduled for Aug. 2, after The Western News’ print deadline. In return for his guilty plea, prosecutors were to recommend a 10-year, suspended sentence and pay all court-ordered fees. He is not to own a firearm during the decade long sentence under the terms of the agreement.