Aurora man gets 10 years in prison for starting fire at a home in the city

Aurora man gets 10 years in prison for starting fire at a home in the city

An Aurora man has agreed to a 10-year sentence in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to arson, officials announced on Friday.

Victor Alvarez, 55, also pleaded guilty in an unrelated case, in which he was charged with unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and aggravated battery, according to a news release from the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. Officials said in the release that Alvarez agreed to a four-year sentence in exchange for that guilty plea.

Both prison sentences will run concurrently, the release said. According to officials, Alvarez also gets credit for the 457 days he spent in the Kane County jail.

In addition to the prison sentences, Alvarez must register with the Illinois Arson Registry for 10 years, according to the release.

For the arson case, officials said in the release that Alvarez entered an Aurora home, where he had previously lived, on March 9, 2023. There, he threatened people in the home and started a fire, which caused damage, the release said.

Alvarez later said he started the fire because he was upset with his roommates, according to the release.

In the other case, officials said that on March 15, 2023, Alvarez struck a woman multiple times in the face while they were on a public sidewalk in Aurora. A man intervened on the woman’s behalf, but Alvarez stole the man’s car and drove away, the release said.