Teen sentenced for arson that damaged Helena High

HELENA – A 13-year-old Helena girl has been given a suspended sentence and ordered to attend inpatient chemical dependency treatment as part of a Youth Court plea agreement for her role in a fire that caused nearly $3 million in damage at Helena High School.

The Independent Record reported the girl was intoxicated when she entered the high school in November with two others and started a fire in a janitor’s closet in the math wing.

The plea agreement for arson, obstruction and alcohol possession calls for her to on probation until she is 18. She also must testify against a teenage boy who is charged with the juvenile equivalent of arson for the November fire. Youth Court Judge Kathy Seeley also ordered her to pay $250,000 in restitution.