"It was a mistake and it was wrong," Louis J. Troell told a reporter in a Carbon County courtroom, but couldn't explain why he did it.

Troell, 20, of East Side, who has had other brushes with the law, said he apologizes to the fire department and the community, and asked people not to judge the entire Kidder Township Volunteer Fire Company by his actions.

Troell and Ronald G. Kearns, 19, of Dennison Township, Luzerne County, surrendered to police, then were arraigned before District Judge Joseph Homanko of Weatherly, who set cash bail at $55,000 for Kearns and $100,000 for Troell.

Homanko on Tuesday set bail at $100,000 for co-defendant John Kehler, 26, of White Haven, Luzerne County.

Kearns posted bail, but the two others were in Carbon County Prison.

"There has been public trust placed in these three gentlemen, and it has been tarnished a bit," Homanko said in explaining the bail amount. Homanko also said he set bail high because part of his job is to protect the public.

Kearns got a lower bail because he has no criminal record and works long hours with a family business. Kearns' lawyer, Richard Hughes of Kingston, Luzerne County, said his client is aware of the seriousness of the charges against him.

But Homanko said he considered Troell a flight risk because of his record. Troell is on probation in Luzerne County on a receiving stolen property conviction and on parole in Carbon County on a drug delivery conviction. Both convictions happened last year.

Efforts to reach Fire Chief Troell were unsuccessful.

Court records show the Carbon County case against Louis Troell stemmed from his stealing a bottle of his grandmother's sedatives on Sept. 15, 2004, and giving them to two friends, one of whom nearly died. Troell served nearly 10 months in prison on the drug charge.

The Carbon County adult probation office on Thursday filed a detainer against Troell for parole violations, meaning he would have to get a court order in addition to posting bail to get out of prison.

Details of Troell's Luzerne County conviction were not immediately available.

State police Fire Marshal David Klitsch said Troell, Kearns and Kehler were simply looking to go out on some fire calls and did not want to hurt anyone.

According to arrest affidavits:

The three men, while sitting at the firehouse May 21, decided to start fires. That day, they twice tried to start a brush fire on state game lands along Route 534 using a gasoline and oil mix, but failed.

On May 23, Kearns dropped Kehler near an unoccupied building along Route 940 owned by Louis Pugh, where Kehler lit a container filled with flammable fluids. They returned to the fire hall and were among the first to respond to the fire.

Then on June 7, Kehler filled two containers with a mix of oil and gasoline. Kearns went off to wait for the alarm, and Troell drove Kehler to a vacant home known as the Bear Necessities building, where Kehler started a fire.

According to an affidavit for a search warrant filed by Kidder Detective Matthew Kuzma:

Troell was interviewed June 12 and said he saw Kehler on June 7 pour gas and oil into an empty water bottle and insert a rag into it to serve as a wick.

Troell said he drove Kehler to the Bear Necessities building, but when he came back to pick up Kehler, Kehler said he had dropped the bottle in the woods.

Kehler put oil and gas into a new bottle at the firehouse, Troell said, and Troell again drove him to the building, where Kehler successfully started the fire.

Troell is charged with 11 felony counts of arson and related crimes, Kearns with 18 felony counts of arson and related crimes, and Kehler with 19 felony counts and two misdemeanors.

Written by The Morning Call