The man charged with setting fire to Ketchikan’s American Legion building was sentenced on Friday to 12 years in prison with six and half years suspended. Joseph Schacher will serve the initial 5 and a half years in custody and then 5 years on probation.
Ketchikan Superior Court Judge Daniel Doty presided over the case.
Schacher pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in the first degree and arson in the second degree after setting fire to the American Legion building during a psychotic episode in September of 2023.
His mother, Christina Erickson, said Schacher needed rehabilitation, rather than punishment. She lives in Oregon, where she said she can get him treatment for his schizophrenia and can ensure he is in therapy and taking his medication. “He needs a padded room, not a jail cell,” she said.
The defense said he suffered from mental illness and tried to get treatment in Ketchikan multiple times — including in the week before setting fire to the building — but he was turned away.
The state argued that because there is no way to guarantee Schacher will continue to take his medication and adhere to rehabilitation, he is a danger to himself and others. Although no one was harmed in the fire, there was a serious potential for the first responders to get injured. Members of the American Legion emphasized the importance of the building to them personally and in the community.
Doty gave condolences to the American Legion members and assured them that while he wanted to give Schacher a chance at rehabilitation by not giving the maximum sentence, he was not trying to minimize the loss for the community.
The details of Schacher’s probation will be decided later this month.
