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A pair of Royal Lakes residents were each sentenced to six years in prison for committing Residential Arson stemming from an incident in Hillsboro on May 4.

Alphonso Anderson was sentenced on Wednesday, July 17, and Emmanuel D. Welch was sentenced on Thursday, July 18. Plea agreements were presented by State's Attorney Bryant Hitchings and the defendants' Attorneys Alicia Granito and Erin Mattson. They were approved by the Honorable Judge Doug Jarman.

Anderson, 52, and Welch, 23, were arrested by Hillsboro Police following an investigation of a May structure fire at 677 Park Street. The investigation revealed that an accelerant was used by the two men to start the fire, which caused extensive damage to the outside of the single-family home. No one was inside the residence at the time of the fire.

In addition to fines and court costs, both defendants were ordered to pay restitution for the damage to the home. The Hillsboro Fire Department assisted in the investigation.(Photo courtesy of State's Attorney Bryant Hitchings)