Ex-student sentenced for trying to burn down gym, twice

BOZEMAN (AP) – A former student at Heritage Christian School in Bozeman who acknowledged twice setting fire to the school has been sentenced to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections.

The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports 24-year-old Zachary Silflow was sentenced Tuesday on two counts of felony arson. He also was ordered to pay $4.6 million in restitution along with a $467,800 restitution fee, and his sentence will be followed by 15 years of probation.

Silflow was arrested Oct. 24 for a fire early that morning that damaged the school gym. The damage was minimized by a sprinkler system installed when the gym was rebuilt after an August 2012 fire, which Silflow also acknowledged setting.

Silflow said he was upset about how he was treated at the school by students and staff.