Man gets 5 years for house fire that killed 2 dogs

A Florida man has been sentenced to five years in prison for setting a house fire that killed two dogs.

The Ledger reports that 38-year-old Tabarus Johnson was sentenced last month after pleading no contest to a reduced charge of attempted arson of a structure. He had been facing a first-degree arson charge and 30 years in prison.

Authorities say Johnson set a mattress on fire at his Auburndale home following an argument with a woman who also lived there. Officials say five dogs were in the home when Johnson set the fire. Two of them were found dead, tied up with leashes, after firefighters extinguished the blaze. Rescuers led the other three dogs from the home and treated them with oxygen.

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Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com