A Chatham County man has been sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to setting a fire in a restaurant’s outdoor trash container.
Joshua Daryl McGregor, 34, of Savannah, received a 60-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to arson, announced Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered McGregor to pay restitution for the property lost in the fire and to serve three years of supervised release after completing his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
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“Intentionally setting a fire to damage someone else’s property is inexcusable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Joshua McGregor will have substantial time to ponder his post-prison employment options.”
According to court documents and testimony, McGregor, an employee of the McDonald’s at 2701 Montgomery Ave. in Savannah, was frustrated by the restaurant’s busyness in April 2023. He lit a piece of cardboard on fire and threw it into the restaurant’s dumpster, which was filled with cardboard and other flammable materials. McGregor ensured the fire ignited before returning to work.
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The fire became so intense that customers in the drive-through lane had to back out of the parking lot, and the restaurant temporarily closed while the Savannah Fire Department extinguished the blaze. McGregor, who filmed the fire with his cell phone, was identified on surveillance video and later arrested by Savannah Police Department investigators. In May, he pled guilty to arson in U.S. District Court.
“Arson is an extremely violent crime that not only destroys property but also places firefighters, first responders, and the general public at great risk,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the ATF Atlanta Field Division. “The ATF, along with the Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit and our other law enforcement partners, are committed to ensuring that our communities are safe and that those who commit these dangerous acts are held accountable.”
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“Savannah Fire’s Arson Unit greatly appreciates our continued ability to work with our local and federal partners to successfully prosecute arson that affects interstate commerce in our jurisdiction,” said Fred Anderson, chief investigator for the Savannah Fire Arson Unit. “These collaborative efforts have continued to help make our community safer and significantly reduce the incidence of arson throughout the city.”
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