BEECH GROVE, Ind. — A Beech Grove man was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for setting fire to two buildings at the Amtrak facility in Beech Grove on May 2, 2021.
According to court documents, 35-year-old Casey Sage entered the grounds of the Amtrak facility on May 1, 2021.
Surveillance video captured Sage as he moved around the Amtrak facility railyard.
Investigators said in the early morning hours of May 2, 2021, Sage entered a storage building in the railyard containing various flammable chemicals. Court documents said Sage lit a flare and threw it into the building.
The building erupted in flames, and video surveillance captured several explosions as a second building caught fire.
The buildings and their contents were destroyed, and Amtrak has estimated that the fires resulted in approximately $1 million in damages.
Sage is also accused of setting fire to an apartment in Greenwood. That fire caused more than $110,000 in damage.
“The arsons committed by the defendant were an outrageous course of conduct that endangered apartment complex residents and emergency personnel,” said Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “I appreciate the hard work of investigators and prosecutors who came together across agencies to identify and vigorously prosecute the defendant."
Beech Grove Mayor Dennis Buckley issued the following statement on the sentencing:
“When Casey Sage committed his egregious act of arson in the City of Beech Grove, he intentionally put the lives of our public safety officers, Amtrak workers and countless community members at risk,” said Mayor Buckley. “Thanks to the dedicated collaboration among local, state and federal law enforcement partners, a dangerous criminal’s senseless acts in this city have come to an end.”
Sage had faced up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing.