MONTICELLO, NY — Jacques Pluss, 66, of Kenoza Lake, has been sentenced to five years in prison for starting a fire at the Sunoco Country Store in Jeffersonville. Pluss pled guilty to arson in November, admitting that on September 29, 2018, he intentionally cut a propane line and set fire to the exterior rear of the store while it was occupied by employees, including his wife.

“The scene was still dangerous when the fire department arrived, as gas was still leaking. The fire had damaged an eight-foot by 10-foot section of the outside wall,” Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff said at the time of the incident. Schiff identified Craig Lanese of Jeffersonville, who is a regular customer at the Sunoco Country Store as a good samaritan who kept the fire under control before the fire department arrived. “Mr. Lanese is a hero,” said Schiff. “He held it down until the fire department could get there and turn off the tanks. A major disaster was averted.”

Acting Sullivan County District Attorney Meagan Galligan said the sentence was handed down by Judge Michael McGuire on February 21. “This defendant endangered people in the store, people passing by, and our dedicated fire and police personnel, and I am pleased that he has been held accountable and responsible for his criminal conduct,” Galligan said.