LYNCHBURG, Va. – Brennan Thornhill pleaded guilty Wednesday to seven of his 13 charges. The other six were dropped as part of a plea deal.
The 19-year-old was charged with maliciously setting fire to wood, fence, grass, straw or similar material capable of spreading fire on land along with arson and indecent exposure.
Police say he set more than 30 trash fires throughout Lynchburg in June, then exposed himself to women in August.
Prosecutors said Thornhill originally told police he was working as a DoorDash delivery driver at the time and wasn’t responsible for the fires.
GPS tracked his deliveries near some of the incidents, and his grey Nissan sedan fit the vehicle description.
Witnesses later identified Thornhill in a lineup. Police arrested him in September.
It’s still unclear what the motive was in the case.
Thornhill will get a mental health evaluation.
The sentencing is set for July 13.