Man who lit fireworks in deadly local mobile home fire pleads no contest

PREBLE COUNTY — A man has pled no contest after being accused of lighting fireworks and starting a deadly mobile home fire back in September.

>>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man enters insanity plea after being charged in connection to deadly Preble Co. fire

Anthony Luker Jr., 24, entered a plea of no contest to reckless homicide Tuesday in Preble County Common Pleas Court, according to online court records.

This means he is waiving a trial by jury and will have the three other felony charges dismissed.

News Center 7 reported that Luker was also charged with having weapons under disability, receiving stolen property, and grand theft when the property is a firearm or dangerous ordinance.

It comes after Luker withdrew his not guilty because of insanity plea in court Tuesday, court records said. He entered the insanity plea back in December.

He is facing a maximum of three years in prison and a $10,000 fine for his role in the death of Kenneth Dolin, 57, of New Paris, back in September.

Luker’s sentencing date is scheduled for January 17 in Preble County Common Pleas Court, according to court records said.

News Center 7 originally reported that Preble County firefighters were initially dispatched on Sept. 7 around 10:46 p.m. to the 6500 block of State Route 121 near New Paris on initial reports of a mobile home fire and someone trapped inside.

In a 911 call obtained by News Center 7, a caller tells dispatchers the fire was started by fireworks and that there was a man still trapped inside the home.

“The person who did this, he lit firecrackers over the porch, and he caught the house on fire,” the caller frantically told dispatchers.

Doolin was identified by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office as the person killed in the fire.

>>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Male dead following mobile home fire in Preble County

A man, later identified as Luker, was allegedly seen leaving the scene in a Buick Century that belonged to Doolin.

He was later taken into custody in Richmond, Indiana, and extradited to Preble County.

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