The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that Joshua Scott, 21, of Turlock, was sentenced to two years in state prison for his arson conviction.

Turlock City News previously reported that on Monday, August 7th, Turlock Police and Fire had responded to a reported dumpster fire behind Tilly’s in the 2700 block of Countryside Drive.

Units arrived on scene to find that it was actually a cat that had been set on fire in the enclosed dumpster area.

Officers began checking the area and Officer Silva located Scott near the Verizon Wireless store. He matched the description of someone who had set another cat on fire two weeks prior and also had blood and hair underneath his shoe. Additionally, he was on probation for burglary and driving under the influence of drugs.

Through the investigation, Scott was linked to both fires and was arrested on two counts of animal abuse and one count of violation of probation at the time.

After more thorough investigation by the Turlock Police Department and Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit, key evidence was discovered which allowed for a more serious arson charge to be filed, making a state prison sentence possible in this case.

Scott was remanded to the custody of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to begin his sentence. After he’s released, he will have to register as an arsonist.