ITHACA, N.Y. — A man who tried to light a fire and fell through the ceiling at the Ithaca Planned Parenthood in April was sentenced Friday afternoon.
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Adam Smith, 32, was sentenced to 1 1/3 to four years in prison after he pled guilty to felony third-degree criminal mischief last month. He was also sentenced to serve two to six years in jail for forging 11 stolen checks worth $4,605 from Dec. 4 to 8 with his girlfriend.
On April 1, Smith entered the Planned Parenthood at 9:13 a.m. and locked himself in the bathroom, police said. Employees said Smith was “suspicious” and began knocking on the door to get his attention, but he did not respond.
Smith then lit tissue paper on fire to make the fire alarm to go off, hoping he would get lost in the shuffle when the building was evacuated, his attorney Thomas Kheel said. When the alarm failed to go off, Smith climbed into a drop-ceiling, kicked in a square by the lobby to try to escape, and fell through the drop-ceiling.
Smith admitted in court to being on drugs at the time of the incident.
He was also charged with fifth-degree arson, but those charges were dropped because Smith did not damage property or intend to light anything at Planned Parenthood on fire, Kheel said.
The sentencing was part of a plea deal that also requires Smith to pay $1,560 in restitution to Planned Parenthood and $4,605 in restitution to return the money from the stolen checks.
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