BILLINGS- A 12-year-old Billings boy appeared in Yellowstone County youth court Thursday to face five felony charges of attempted deliberate homicide stemming from a September fire in Billings.
The boy pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to the Yellowstone County Attorney’s office.
The charges stem from a Sept. 18 fire that broke out at a home on Yellowstone Avenue. The fire caused an estimated $30,000 in damages to a basement utility room and sent six people to the hospital.
Fire investigators said the fire was started intentionally.
Back in October, MTN News spoke with the mother of the boy, Lisa Polesky, who said her son, whom she does not have full custody of, sometimes sleepwalks.
After an investigation, Billings police determined it was intentionally set, identifying Polesky’s 12-year-old boy as the alleged arsonist.
At the time, Polesky said sometimes he has a typical boy temper but said she didn’t think he was capable of such a crime.
After the fire, four adults and two children were taken to the hospital.
A 9-year-old boy, also Polesky’s son, was flown to Utah for his injuries. He has since returned home to Montana to recover.
The boy will stay in youth custody. His next court date has not yet been set.
Story by Andrea Lutz – MTN News
