Canon City man who set friend on fire seeks sentence reduction

A Canon City man convicted of setting his friend on fire is seeking a sentence reduction.

The Pueblo Chieftain reports 35-year-old Michael Scavarda of Canon City was sentenced in July to 15 years in prison after a Fremont County jury found him guilty of assault, arson, and menacing charges.

Authorities say Scavarda threw gasoline on 41-year-old Jason Crowder and set him on fire in March 2017, causing severe burns.

During the sentencing, Crowder said what Scavarda did was “uncharacteristic of him,” and lamented the sentence for being too stiff.

“I am very, very sorry, and I hope you can forgive me,” Scavarda said, according to the Canon City Daily Record.

“I forgive you,” Crowder told Scavarda. “Thank you for trying to put [the fire] out. I totally forgive you.”

Defense Attorney Joe Koncilja says he plans to file a motion for a sentence reconsideration and is considering seeking a new trial.

Koncilja claims a juror had improperly brought extraneous information into the jury room that could have prejudiced the case.