A 40-year-old man accused of setting a recreational vehicle on fire and shooting an AR-15 inside a Park City Mountain warehouse has been sentenced to three years of supervised probation.
William Dougherty was charged with six different counts in October, with a first-degree felony for aggravated burglary topping the list of offenses. He also faced two counts of property damage greater than $5,000, a second-degree felony; one count of property damage between $500 and $1,499, a class A misdemeanor; one count of reckless burning, a class A misdemeanor; and one count of theft with a value less than $500, a class B misdemeanor.
However, Dougherty in March pleaded guilty to only two counts — property damage greater than $5,000 and reckless burning — with the remainder of his charges dropped in return.
Summit County Third District Judge Richard Mrazik sentenced Dougherty to one year in jail for reckless burning and up to 15 years in prison for property damage earlier this month, but both terms were suspended in favor of placing Dougherty on supervised probation instead, according to court documents.
Now, probation officers will supervise Dougherty for the next 36 months in addition to him undergoing a mental health evaluation. The evaluation must be obtained within 60 days of Dougherty’s sentencing, with up to 12 months allowed to receive any recommended treatments.
He is also required to maintain good behavior and report any violations to his probation officer. Otherwise, Dougherty could be held in contempt of court and have his prison and jail terms reinstated.
The incident started in the Silver Summit area on Sept. 6, according to court documents. A woman reportedly heard an explosion and saw an RV belonging to Dougherty on fire. She then witnessed Dougherty get into his truck and drive away while neighbors and first responders attempted to put out the flames.
Later the same day, a Park City Mountain employee noticed the entryway to the warehouse where he worked was severely damaged, and the door was open. He reviewed the security footage and saw a man, later identified as Dougherty, who seemingly “shot his way” into the building.
The warehouse was not occupied when the shooting happened.
“Also on the video, (the man) saw (Dougherty) discharge several more rounds inside the warehouse, damaging the interior and ceiling,” court documents stated. “(Dougherty) took a bottle of Bulleit bourbon from a small refrigerator inside an office and then left the same way he came.”
The Park City Mountain employee later discovered that his truck, which was parked in front of the warehouse, had been struck by several bullets, causing around $9,000 in damage. A bicycle inside the warehouse belonging to a different employee had damage estimated around $1,325.
A representative from Vail Resorts told investigators that the damage to the warehouse was more than $5,000.
Park City Police Department officers found and stopped Dougherty at Deer Valley Resort. They searched his car and discovered a “loaded AR-15 style rifle with ammunition” consistent with the bullets at the warehouse, according to court documents.