A Rockville, Maryland, man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to setting fire to an occupied Montgomery Village apartment in 2025.
Robert Simms, 36, was sentenced Thursday in Montgomery County Circuit Court to 45 years, with all but 25 years suspended, followed by five years of supervised probation. Simms pleaded guilty Feb. 5 to attempted first-degree murder and three counts of reckless endangerment.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Simms intentionally set fire to an apartment in the 18300 block of Feathertree Way on April 4, 2025.
Prosecutors said four people were inside the apartment when the fire started at the front door, blocking the home’s only exit and forcing the occupants onto a balcony. The building’s sprinkler system eventually contained the fire.
Investigators found evidence of gasoline at the scene. Surveillance video showed Simms carrying a red gasoline container toward the apartment moments before a flash and fire erupted, according to prosecutors.
Earlier that day, Simms had been asked to leave the apartment and threatened the resident, telling her he would return later, prosecutors said. The woman and three other people were inside when the fire was set.
The fire caused an estimated $375,000 in damage, and the apartment was declared uninhabitable.
The State’s Attorney’s Office thanked Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, Montgomery County police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Maryland State Police Forensic Lab for their roles in the investigation.
“The defendant’s actions were terrifying. He endangered the lives of many innocent people,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement. “The defendant set a fire during the day inside an occupied apartment building containing multiple residential units. This lengthy sentence is appropriate, and we are gratified by Judge Johnson’s handling of this matter.”
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