Man sentenced after guilty plea to 2021 arson

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - A Lowcountry man avoided serving additional time on three attempted murder charges after pleading guilty in an arson case.

Gregory Lee Bradley Jr. entered a guilty plea Tuesday to a charge of second-degree arson in connection with a May 2021 fire at a home on Carriage Lane in the Summerville area with three people inside at the time.

A judge sentenced him to three years in jail, which is the mandatory minimum for that crime.

Berkeley County deputies originally charged him with the arson charge and three additional charges of attempted murder.

Investigators said surveillance footage captured Bradley spraying some type of liquid and setting the home on fire. Deputies said the home did not sustain major damage.

Crews with the Pine Ridge Fire Department said when they arrived on the scene they could smell gasoline around the area where the fire started. Law enforcement also reported smelling gas near the backyard of the home. Authorities located an “oil-based” liquid sprayed on the side of the home where the fire started.

The victims said when the returned home they noticed the smell of gasoline. One of the victims said he noticed a small flame near the side of the home while he and one of the other victims were outside in the backyard, but thought it was a neighbor having a bonfire.

The Ninth Circuit Solicitor’s Office dismissed the three charges of attempted murder as part of a plea agreement.

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