Schizophrenic Man Gets Prison For 2011 Arson Spree

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A 23-year-old mentally ill man who admitted setting fires at a Hollywood synagogue and a residential construction site near Beverly Hills was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 10 years in prison.

KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports Superior Court Judge Sam Ohta sentenced Dimitry Sheyko to 9 years and 8 months in state prison for the crime spree that took place more than two years ago.

Ohta said that while there was no question that Sheyko suffers from schizophrenia, his crimes were "not accidental."

Sheyko, who will be ordered to register for the rest of his life as an arson offender, pleaded guilty to 22 counts, including arson, burglary and use of a destructive device.

Between April 14 and April 17, 2011, Sheyko burglarized a Fresh & Easy market; broke into a classroom and set fire to a drum at Temple Israel Hollywood; broke into a home; and set fires at two homes under construction on Beverly Ridge Terrace, Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney said.

He also set fire to a construction manager's truck, destroying the vehicle, according to Carney.

The prosecutor, however, did not expect Sheyko to serve out his full sentence.

"The defendant has been in custody for about 962 days; he has about four years and eight months left on that sentence," Carney said. "He'll serve half of that."

Once Sheyko completes his sentence, authorities will determine if he should be classified as a mentally disordered offender and sent to a state mental hospital, according to Carney.

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