KINGSTON – A Hurley man pled guilty in Ulster County Court to a charge of arson in a fire at the Super 8 Motel on Washington Avenue in Kingston on January 2.
Dennis Stokes, 37, faces up to 15 years in state prison when sentenced in December.
Stokes was alone in the room and refused to let police in and threatened to “come out blazing” and kill others with him. During the incident, he threatened police with what appeared to be a handgun, later to be determined as a BB gun.
The standoff lasted several hours while officers took positions of safety on the ground and nearby buildings and attempted to negotiate with Stokes.
Shortly after 5 p.m., Stokes sprayed lighter fluid in the room and set it on fire. The smoke and flames caused Stokes to jump from the second story window to the ground, where he was apprehended.
Kingston City Police along with the Kingston Fire Department, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team, and the State Police.
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