Man sentenced to 30 years, pays $135,000 for burning down Burnt Store home

A man has been sentenced to 30 years for burning down a mobile home in Charlotte County.

In 2021, Wayne Ellery Steier set a van on fire in a community off Burnt Store Road. The fire spread to a mobile home nearby. A person was sleeping inside, but the sound of the flames and the smell of smoke woke the victim.

The victim was able to escape without being burned.

Video from a security surveillance system showed a man approaching the van with a gas can. He poured the gas and lit a match to start the fire.

Steier was sentenced to 30 years in prison for arson of a dwelling. He has also been sentenced to 15 years probation for arson of a conveyance. Both sentences will run consecutively.

Steier was also ordered to pay $135,000 in restitution to the victim and have no contact with them.