In Accomack arson spree, Smith sentenced to 15 years
Convicted arsonist Charles R. Smith III was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for his role in a five-month arson spree in Accomack County.
"I think we did what the community expected of us," said Commonwealth Attorney Gary Agar.
Smith, 40, pleaded guilty in October 2013 to 68 arson counts and testified against his former fiancee, Tonya Bundick, in two trials.
Smith's sentencing capped off a week that began with Bundick's surprise Alford plea Monday to all remaining charges against her.
The plea came at the start of what was to be Bundick's third jury trial on arson charges — the pair were connected to more than 60 arsons in Accomack County between November 2012 and April 2013.
Bundick's plea was immediately followed by her sentencing. Bundick will serve a total of 171/2 years in prison on 63 counts of arson and one conspiracy count.
Defense attorney Carl Bundick called Smith to the witness stand at the start of the sentencing hearing and asked why he had decided to cooperate with authorities right after his arrest in April 2013.
"Because it was the right thing to do, and I know a bunch of those officers ... I just couldn't lie to them," he said.
Smith apologized to the property owners affected by the fires, as well as to the firefighters, electrical workers and "and anybody else this might have affected."
"I'd like to say how sorry I am," he said.
Bundick said Smith began giving back to the community when he pleaded guilty to the crimes. "He was determined to do the right thing," including testifying against the woman he said he still loved at the time.
Judge Glen A. Tyler called the arson cases "unprecedented —I wonder if there has ever been in the United States a serial arsonist that went up to 68 cases over a five-month period."
Accomack: Male arsonist to be sentenced Thursday
Bundick strikes deal on remaining arson cases
Agar in response to Tyler's request for a sentence recommendation said, "He needs to go to the penitentiary, and he knows that, because of the horrendous nature of the crimes." He called the string of arsons "incessant crimes over such a long period of time," saying, "It was our local terrorist situation, essentially."
But he asked that Smith receive less time in prison than Bundick because of his cooperation throughout the cases, provided without any promise of leniency.
Agar noted Smith pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, while Bundick entered an Alford plea —admitting there was likely enough evidence for a conviction, but not admitting she did the crimes —saying, "It's a coward's plea, in a way."
From the point of view of "anyone following the fact patterns," Bundick was the mastermind behind the arsons, Agar said.
"It really appeared that she was calling the shots; she was controlling this defendant — what got burned and when," he said.
He noted without Smith's help there likely would have been only two counts against Bundick — his confession provided information that resulted in her being indicted on 64 counts.
Tyler in pronouncing the sentence noted Smith by law can't profit from his crimes in any way, including from any books that might be written about the case.
cvvaughn@dmg.gannett.com
757-787-1200, ext. 115
On Twitter @cvvaughnESN