Plymouth Man Loses Appeal In Arson Conviction

PLYMOUTH, MI — The Michigan Court of Appeals on Tuesday affirmed the conviction of a Plymouth man who intentionally burned down his own home in 2019 to collect insurance money, according to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Patrick Nolan, 44, was found guilty of one count of arson of an insured dwelling and one count of second-degree arson in October 2023. He was sentenced to 7-20 years in prison and ordered to pay $272,581 in restitution to the insurer of the home.

In his appeal, Nolan argued that the judge improperly forced the jury to reach a unanimous verdict or they would have to hear the case again, court documents said.

However, state Appeals Court Judges Kirsten Frank Kelly, Colleen O’Brien and Matthew Ackerman said they disagree.

"We conclude the trial court did not impermissibly threaten or imply that the jury would be required to hear the case again if it failed to reach a unanimous agreement," the judges said.

Officials from the Plymouth Township Police and Fire Departments responded to a house fire in the 50000 block of Sheffield Court, just after 2 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2019. Nolan owned the home, and subsequently attempted to make an insurance claim on the loss, having started the fire himself for this purpose, officials said.

During their investigation, officials determined the cause to be arson because:

• Gasoline was found poured throughout the home.
• The fire was intentionally set in three separate, unconnected areas of the home: the master bedroom, the basement storage room and the common hall at the top of the basement stairs.
• The fire was human caused, no natural causes were located in the home.

Investigators then used information from Nolan's truck's infotainment system to put him at the home just before the fire started, officials said.

No one was inside the home at the time of the fire, and no one was injured, officials said.

"Arson is not a victimless crime," Nessel said. "It endangers lives, destroys property, and raises insurance costs for honest homeowners."