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Man pleads guilty to setting the old Bedford Middle School on fire

His sentencing is scheduled for March 1, 2022

BEDFORD, Va. – The man accused of setting the old Bedford Middle School on fire in January 2020 has pleaded guilty.

This comes after Daniel Flint was charged with two felony charges of arson and burglary in connection to the incident that happened on Jan. 23, 2020.

In February of that year, Flint was arrested after someone submitted a tip that they recognized the back of his head in a surveillance image that was captured as he was riding his bike away from the scene. Officials said he admitted the crime to his mother, which led her to tell parole and probation officers what happened, stating that she believed her son was dangerous.

Officials say he is a former student at the school.

On Friday, Flint’s attorney asked the court to consider Flint’s autism diagnosis in both his plea and sentencing.

A recent law passed by Virginia’s General Assembly allows mental health to be considered when it comes to pleas and sentencing.

Bedford Commonwealth Attorney Wes Nance says he does not support the request because of Flint’s criminal background.

“We anticipate requesting a conviction and appropriate sentence. I know that the court will take the autism diagnosis into consideration, as the court should. But Mr. Flint has already been before Judge Updike on very serious matters,” said Nance.

Below is video footage of the school building on the day of the fire:

At this time, Flint’s sentence is scheduled for March 1 at 1:30 p.m.

10 News has covered this case extensively since the first happened. Below are our previous stories, from newest to oldest:


About the Authors
Jazmine Otey headshot

Jazmine Otey joined the 10 News team in February 2021.

Tim Harfmann headshot

Tim Harfmann joined the 10 News team in September 2020 and works at the station's Lynchburg bureau.

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