A Speegleville man who pointed a gun at a cat throughout a pretrial video listening to in February was convicted Tuesday for an arson he dedicated three years in the past.
Bryan Andrew “Andy” Bruce, 42, confronted a second-degree felony arson cost for a fireplace he set Nov. 17, 2020, on his father’s property within the 3200 block of Speegleville Road. The hearth, set with out his father’s permission, burned a big quantity of grass and fencing, in response to testimony within the trial.
Court filings present that Andy Bruce has a historical past of despair, anger issues, unlawful drug use and psychiatric hospitalizations.
The first psychiatric hospital keep got here after he was accused of arson. His second psychiatric hospitalization got here after the Feb. 10 pretrial listening to by videoconference, throughout which he may very well be seen pointing a pistol on the head of a cat, the paperwork say.
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“He refuses medical treatment for his mental health needs, preferring not to put medication into his body,” the paperwork say.
Speegleville Volunteer Fire Department officers on Tuesday testified a few string of calls they responded to in fall 2020 on the Speegleville Road property the place Andy Bruce and his father, Jerry Bruce, 70, have been residing in separate homes.
Volunteer firefighters have been referred to as out to the property six occasions, on three separate dates. They included an Oct. 22, 2020, hearth, throughout which Andy Bruce interfered with firefighters trying to place out the fireplace; a Nov. 3, 2020, name during which a indifferent storage burned down; and the Nov. 17, 2020, name that burned some grass and fencing, ensuing within the arson cost.
“He set a fire by the boat shed that got out of control,” Jerry Bruce mentioned, testifying concerning the Nov. 3, 2020, hearth. “After the fire that burned the shed, I told my son no more fires.”
It took a number of extra questions from prosecutors for Jerry Bruce to acknowledge that the boat shed or indifferent storage burned to the bottom with $10,000 value of private objects in it.
Jerry Bruce advised the jury he was not current at his son’s home and the areas of the October and November 2020 fires earlier than these have been set, although he realized about them afterward.
On cross-examination, Jerry Bruce advised the jury that the Nov. 17 hearth burned as much as the sting of his pecan orchard and the sting of his neighbor’s property, however didn’t injury these properties.
Jerry Bruce additionally mentioned he had agreed to promote a home and 6 acres of land to Andy Bruce for $45,000. He mentioned that his son has not but accomplished the funds to take full possession of the home and land.
Andy Bruce’s protection legal professional, Brian Howell, confirmed Jerry Bruce the contract and he agreed that it gave his son the best to maintenance and upkeep on the home and land. Howell instructed it additionally gave Andy Bruce the best to set managed fires, as a type of upkeep and maintenance, and prosecutors didn’t object.
McLennan Central Appraisal District data present Jerry and Patricia Bruce because the homeowners of the property the place the fires occurred. These data present no property underneath the identify Bryan Andrew Bruce.
Andy Bruce is predicted to be sentenced Wednesday.
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