Man Pleads Guilty to Burning Pennsylvania Bridge

A northwestern Pennsylvania man faces up to 37 years in prison after pleading guilty to setting fire to a historic covered bridge and unrelated charges of shooting at an occupied car.

Twenty-three-year-old Jeffrey Gleason, of Conneautville, will be sentenced Aug. 26 in Erie County.

Gleason caused $1 million damage to the Gudgeonville bridge in Girard Township on Nov. 8. The bridge was built in 1868 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The shooting charges stem from an incident two weeks after the arson.

Gleason’s co-defendant in the arson, 22-year-old Joshua Michael Bell, of Albion, is scheduled for trial in September.

Police say the men set the fire for fun after sharing a case of beer.