A Lehighton man was sentenced to a long state prison term on Tuesday afternoon in the Carbon County court after previously pleading guilty to setting fires at his mother's and sister's residences.

Russell Young, 45, was sentenced by President Judge Roger N. Nanovic to serve a total of 28 to 56 months in a state correctional institution on two counts of arson-danger of death or bodily harm, both felonies. Young also faces a substantial restitution bill.Young was arrested by borough police with setting fire to the home of his mother, Marian, at 231 Carbon St. on the morning of Jan. 30, 2013.He then went to the home of Delbert and Margaret Laury, at 357 N. Third St., and set the back porch of fire. Laury is his sister.Young was living with his mother at the time.The home at 231 Carbon St. was destroyed while the home at 357 N. Third St. received damages to the back porch.Officer Brian Biechy, the investigating officer, responded to the Carbon Street fire about 7 a.m. On scene he found the home full of smoke.While fire personnel responded to that fire the county communications center then reported a fire at the North Third Street address. That was at 7:05 a.m.Biechy, while responding to the initial fire, asked for backup after he learned of the second fire. Franklin Township Police Chief Thomas Beltz and Officer Timothy Wuttke, of Nesquehoning police, went to the North Third Street fire.Beltz found the back porch on fire and was able to extinguished the blaze. Wuttke found Young on scene and took him into custody.On Tuesday defense attorney Joseph D. Perilli, of the public defenders office, told Nanovic, "There is no justification for what happened, just great pressure."Perilli said Young was under pressure at the time of the incident. He said Young fully cooperated with police in the investigation.Young said he set the fire because he believed his mother had willed the home over to his sister and that he was going to be evicted from the home.Young told the court he has strived to be a good person. He said, "I want to continue my life, I bear no malice to anyone."Nanovic took exception to that statement. He said the fire completely destroyed his mother's home while she was in the hospital. Marian Young died two days after the fire.Nanovic continued, "The reality is that your mother had not turned the home over to your sister. Your action, for whatever reason, was not right."Nanovic added, "Setting fire to your mother's house, wasn't that malice?" He continued, "Why would a son have so much malice for his mother while she is in the hospital?"Nanovic also asked Young how he expected to pay back the huge restitution for damages caused by the fires he set. Young told the court he would pay it in "installments" after he is released from prison and gets a job.The restitution bill set by the court is $159,170.In addition to the prison term Nanovic ordered Young to get a mental health evaluation and follow any recommendation for treatment, have no contact with the victims, supply a DNA sample, and pay court costs, which average about $1,000.He was given credit for 545 days already spent in jail on the charges. He has been in jail since his arrest the day of the fire.