This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man who set fire to two Mormon church chapels last year will not see prison time if he completes the terms of his probation.
Patrick Adam Ehat told police he started the fires in the South Salt Lake LDS ward houses in October because the church had "lied" to him, according to court documents.
Ehat's case was transferred to the 3rd District's mental health court last week. He then pleaded guilty to two first-degree felony counts of aggravated arson. Judge Judith Atherton sentenced Ehat to five years to life in prison on each count but suspended the prison terms.
Instead, Ehat will have to appear weekly in mental health court, complete treatment and pay restitution as part of his 36-month probation.
According to court documents, Ehat broke into the meetinghouses through windows. At a church near 3200 South and 300 East, Ehat poured an accelerant on the chapel's sacrament table, podium, organ and piano, court documents state. At a chapel near 2700 South and Main Street, Ehat started a fire on a couch.