Springfield man pleads guilty to arson

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A Vermont man has pleaded guilty to first-degree arson for his role in setting fire to his apartment building earlier this year.
Firefighters said the April fire in Springfield endangered the life of a mother and two children.
Steven Kuchta pleaded guilty as part of a plea agreement in White River Junction on Tuesday. He agreed to serve a two-to-eight-year sentence in prison and pay for damage to the apartment complex.
The Eagle-Times reports (http://bit.ly/SrKmXO) the 48-year-old Kuchta initially denied starting the fire, but later said he made a mistake and started it by lighting a few pieces of paper with a lighter.
A police affidavit says Kuchta said he was stressed out because his daughter was leaving the state and he had no job or money.