Island Park Playground arsonist Zach Buhlke Thursday received two years probation and must pay $6,000 for his role in buring down the playground last fall, Cowley County Attorney Chris Smith said.
Buhlke, who was 17 when the crime occurred, pleaded guilty last month to a count of felony arson. He was charged as a juvenile which made it highly likely he would receive probation.
Smith said a Cowley County judge determined that the money Buhlke will repay was an amount that was reasonable for someone his age to repay over a two-year span. A replacement playground opened this spring and cost about half a million to rebuild, according to city officials.
The community-built playground at Island Park was destroyed by fire on the afternoon of Oct. 26. Two other juveniles pleaded guilty and received probation for their roles in starting the fire.
Buhlke was said to have been igniting small materials in the playground area when the fire started to get out of control. The teens left without alerting fire authorities.
Buhlke is a son of Dennis Buhlke, president and CEO of Creekstone Farms Premium Beef.
