Elkhart man admits to arson in series of 8 barn fires
ELKHART — A man who officials claim is responsible for a string of barn fires admitted to the arsons this week in a plea deal that could see Joseph Hershberger spend up to 50 years in prison.
Hershberger, 41, on Monday pleaded guilty to eight arsons committed in 2021 over a geographic area that includes Elkhart, Kosciuosko, Marshall and southern St. Joseph counties.
In April, a nearly 100-year-old barn was destroyed near Milford in Kosciusko County. In May, officials investigated two fires within a couple of miles of each other just northwest of Wakarusa. Two barn fires in one night a few miles apart in June raised suspicions of county police departments and a few began investigations. The arsons came to a head in September when two fires on one night near Goshen destroyed two barns of Mennonite farmers.
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“An empty barn is one thing. But if you want a thrill, don’t burn down animal housing," Daniel Imhoff told The Tribune in September 2021 after one of his barns used to house animals was destroyed.
The plea agreement, which was preliminarily approved by an Elkhart County judge Monday, states Hershberger will plea guilty to all eight of the arsons he was charged with. In exchange, prosecutors have dismissed one additional count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and put an upper limit of 50 years on any sentence imposed.
If Hershberger were sentenced consecutively for all eight arsons at the advisory sentencing level for Indiana, he would face a 48-year sentence. Court records show Hershberger has a previous arson conviction from 2006.
Court documents say cellphone data places Hershberger's phone at the scene of several of the fires shortly before they were reported. Hershberger also allegedly admitted to setting the fires, along with his "significant other," Sherry Thomas, when questioned by police.
Thomas also is charged with the same eight counts of arson. Her case is still ongoing.
Some, but not all, of the properties the pair allegedly set on fire belonged to members of the Amish community. Court documents do not detail Thomas' or Hershberger's motivations, saying only that Thomas told police she and Hershberger would "drive around and he would pick out barns to burn."
In addition to the charges out of Elkhart County, Thomas and Hershberger are charged with setting fire to an Amish school southeast of Bremen in a separate Marshall County case.
Hershberger is set to be sentenced in late November, while Thomas is also scheduled for a hearing around the same time.
Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com. Follow him on Twitter: @marek_mazurek
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Elkhart man admits to arson in series of 8 barn fires
