Kansas City man gets 8 years in federal prison for apartment building arson

A 36-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to spend eight years in federal prison after he admitted to starting a large apartment fire in Kansas City’s Independence Plaza neighborhood last year that seriously injured three people and caused catastrophic damage to their building.

Rodney Boyles, of Kansas City, was assigned the sentence by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes during a hearing in the Western District of Missouri’s Kansas City courthouse. Boyles pleaded guilty in February to a single count of arson and faced a maximum sentence of 20 years.

As part of his federal plea agreement, Boyles admitted that he started the Jan. 13, 2021 fire on purpose. Prosecutors say Boyles was under the influence of a controlled substance at the time and used a cigarette lighter to start the fire in an apartment building storage room.

Boyles was a resident of the building. After the fire began to spread, Boyles gathered his girlfriend, their 4-year-old son and another person before leaving, investigators found.

Three people were seriously hurt. Among them was a man who woke up to the smell of smoke, passed out in the living room and was rescued by Kansas City firefighters.

Prosecutors say that man suffered facial burns, respiratory failure, pneumonia and other injuries. He was put in a medical coma during his hospital stay.

Two other residents jumped from the second story overhang as they sought to escape the flames. One broke his wrist and ankle, landing him in the hospital for two weeks.

Kansas City police investigated the arson alongside KCFD and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In May, Boyles was arrested and allegedly admitted to investigators that he set the fire.

Under the terms of Boyles’ sentence, he is ineligible for parole. He was also ordered to pay financial restitution to a woman who was hooked up to a breathing assistance machine in the hospital for nine days due to smoke inhalation.