Fayette County man will serve 10 years for threatening to blow up ex-girlfriend's residence

A 38-year-old Fayette County man with a lengthy history of setting fires dating back to 1991 was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in federal prison for threatening to blow up a building where his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend lived in 2010.

Shawn Gant pleaded guilty last October to making a telephone threat to damage or destroy a building by means of fire or explosive. Gant sent a series of threatening text messages between June 8 and 9, 2010 to his ex-girlfriend, who lived with her boyfriend in Independence. Gant and the woman broke up in March 2010.

The texts Gant sent according to a sentencing memorandum included: "Revenge will be sweet," "(boyfriend) will burn," "There will b a fire in indee 2nite. (ex-girlfriend's) bein a bitch," "Im watchn the place now," and "Thats fine after i burn (boyfriend's) i will kill my self. Just waitn 4 u 2 leave."

Gant's criminal history includes a conviction of second-degree arson in 2002 for starting a fire in the APAC building in Decorah, where he was a janitor, according to court records. He was also convicted of arson for starting a fire in an occupied apartment building in Decorah.

During those two investigations Gant told police about several other fires he started, according to sentencing memorandum. The ones he remembered included torching two of his cars, burning a mobile home and setting a beanbag chair on fire in an apartment. While on probation for the 2002 arson convictions, he was charged and convicted in 2004 of reckless use of fire for setting a fire at his apartment building.

Gant was injured in that fire when he had to jump out a window to escape and his friend, who was asleep in the apartment, was rescued by firefighters and spent time in the burn unit.

U.S. District Chief Judge Linda Reade said in the sentencing memorandum Gant is a "violent person who has an apparent proclivity to set fires. His excessive use of alcohol and the past association of use of alcohol with violent behavior make him a menace."

Reade said Gant has ignored a counselor's recommendation that he obtain an assessment to determine if he is appropriately diagnosed as a pyromaniac and to get treatment. She granted the upward variance in the sentencing guidelines to the maximum prison time because of his escalating behavior, which now includes threatening to kill others.

The 10 year federal sentence will be run consecutively to his public intoxication (third offense) and domestic abuse assault convictions in Fayette County. Gant was sentenced last year to three years for those charges.