A 57-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to intentionally setting a fire last year at his estranged wife's Hammond home while several people were inside, including the wife's four grandchildren.
Erwin Ausley, who was listed as homeless, admitted to arson, a level 4 felony, in connection with the fire April 28, 2020, at a home in the 5500 block of Claude Avenue.
If Lake Criminal Court Judge Samuel Cappas accepts his plea agreement, Ausley would face a sentence of two to eight years in prison.
Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Infiniti Westberg and defense attorney Matthew LaTulip will argue the length of his sentence, the plea agreement states.