65-year-old man gets 24 years in prison for setting fire to his Chattaroy home, shooting at firefighters

A 65-year-old man who burned his home down and fired shots at responding firefighters was sentenced Friday to 24 years in prison.

A jury last month found Timothy King guilty on 18 counts related to the March 2024 incident at his Chattaroy mobile home, according to a Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office news release. Of the 18 convictions, 15 were second-degree assault for shooting at firefighters and other emergency responders, one count was first-degree arson, another was unlawful imprisonment and the last one was interfering with reporting domestic violence.

King’s wife awoke to her husband acting erratically, including saying he was going to be sacrificed, at their home inside the mobile home park, just one or two blocks from Riverside High School, the release said, citing court documents and trial testimony.

She said she and King had been coming off methamphetamine the past couple days, according to documents.

She threatened to call law enforcement, so King smashed her phone with a screwdriver. She tried to leave the home, but King prevented her.

He then left the home, and she was able to run to a nearby market. A good Samaritan drove King’s wife back to her home, which she found burned down.

While firefighters were putting out the fire, gunshots were heard from the surrounding woods. Firefighters and other first responders testified they feared for their lives. At one point, a fire captain saw King pointing a gun at him, the release said.

A Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes detective and a member of the U.S. Marshals Service were also in the area looking for an unrelated fugitive when they contacted King armed with a shotgun and gave commands for him to drop the weapon. King made statements that law enforcement would have to shoot and kill him, but he eventually dropped the shotgun, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies seized a black AR-style magazine shotgun, two spent shotgun shells, a Bible and a bottle of Vodka lying on the ground near a handcuffed King, according to documents.

Prosecutors argued for the high end of the standard sentence range, which is 12 years, and Spokane County Superior Court Judge Julie McKay agreed. McKay tacked on an additional 12 years for the special verdicts and firearm enhancements.

King has no prior criminal history. No one was injured in the incident.