DARLINGTON - A Darlington man accused of setting a car on fire Christmas Eve pleaded guilty Wednesday to disorderly conduct and arson as part of a plea agreement.
Shawn F. McQuaid, 33, pleaded guilty in Lafayette County Circuit Court to disorderly conduct, a class B misdemeanor, and arson to property other than a building, a class I felony, stemming from the Dec. 24 incident.
McQuaid was charged with two other counts: stalking, a class I felony, and sending a computerized text message using obscenities/threatening harm, a class B misdemeanor. Those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
In June, McQuaid pleaded not guilty due to mental disease or defect to all the charges. The plea agreement withdrew the not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease pleas on all the charges, according to Green County District Attorney Gary Luhman.
Luhman was appointed as the special prosecutor for the case after Lafayette County District Attorney Charlotte Doherty removed herself, citing a conflict of interest. McQuaid's father, Steve McQuaid, who was a former detective with the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department and the former Darlington police chief, Doherty said.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections will conduct a pre-sentencing investigation. The sentencing hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 14.
Police reports said that early on Dec. 24, McQuaid started a fight with another man in a downtown tavern. After being kicked out of the tavern, McQuaid sent the man threatening text messages and set fire to the man's vehicle. The fire, which spread to an adjacent vehicle and threatened nearby buildings, was extinguished by the Darlington Fire Department.
McQuaid was arrested and charged on Jan. 4 with the four counts. He was released on a $15,000 signature bond.
Shawn F. McQuaid, 33, pleaded guilty in Lafayette County Circuit Court to disorderly conduct, a class B misdemeanor, and arson to property other than a building, a class I felony, stemming from the Dec. 24 incident.
McQuaid was charged with two other counts: stalking, a class I felony, and sending a computerized text message using obscenities/threatening harm, a class B misdemeanor. Those charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
In June, McQuaid pleaded not guilty due to mental disease or defect to all the charges. The plea agreement withdrew the not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease pleas on all the charges, according to Green County District Attorney Gary Luhman.
Luhman was appointed as the special prosecutor for the case after Lafayette County District Attorney Charlotte Doherty removed herself, citing a conflict of interest. McQuaid's father, Steve McQuaid, who was a former detective with the Lafayette County Sheriff's Department and the former Darlington police chief, Doherty said.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections will conduct a pre-sentencing investigation. The sentencing hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 14.
Police reports said that early on Dec. 24, McQuaid started a fight with another man in a downtown tavern. After being kicked out of the tavern, McQuaid sent the man threatening text messages and set fire to the man's vehicle. The fire, which spread to an adjacent vehicle and threatened nearby buildings, was extinguished by the Darlington Fire Department.
McQuaid was arrested and charged on Jan. 4 with the four counts. He was released on a $15,000 signature bond.