Man pleads guilty to arson in series of Indiana barn fires

GOSHEN, Ind. (AP) — A man has pleaded guilty in connection with a series of barn fires set last year in several northern Indiana counties.

The South Bend Tribune reports that an Elkhart County judge gave preliminary approval Monday to the plea agreement with Joseph Hershberger who was charged with eight counts of arson.

The fires were started in Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties between April and October 2021. Police say eight of the fires were in Elkhart County.

Hershberger was arrested in December. Sherry Thomas, his girlfriend, also was charged late last year with eight counts of arson.

A sentencing hearing for Hershberger is scheduled in Elkhart County for Nov. 21. A change of plea hearing for Thomas in Elkhart County is set for Nov. 28.