NORFOLK, Va. — After spending more than a year in jail, former Norfolk middle school teacher Ryan Elza pleaded guilty to the charges against him on Thursday morning.
He's been accused of being behind a string of fires in the West Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk. The prosecutor in this case, Jeff James, said Elza has pleaded guilty to one of those fires which happened on June 11, 2021.
Elza pleaded guilty to arson to an occupied dwelling and felony destruction of property on Redgate Avenue across from where he lived.
Police said the 43-year-old got into a verbal argument with his neighbor, Patrick McGee, in May of 2021 prior to the fire.
On June 11, investigators said McGee's wife's car caught fire and the flames spread to the family's garage. The couple was home with their two children when someone driving by saw the fire and immediately let them know.
Elza agreed to a plea deal with a Norfolk City Judge. This means Elza cannot change his plea in the future or ask court officials to reconsider his sentencing.
The prosecutor said investigators looked into recorded phone calls Elza made from jail. One of those calls was to his ex-wife, which caught the attention of investigators.
"He called his former wife and told her he wanted the fire marshall's number and she asked why. He said, 'Because I want to confess,'" the prosecutor explained. "We have evidence that he was on his front porch at the time of the fire watching everything."
James said he wants to present a full argument in this case before a judge officially makes a decision.
"I want to be able to argue for as severe a sentence as I can. There were children in this house when he set it on fire. He just devastated this family. That's the reason I didn't agree to a sentence. I wanted to argue what I want to argue," he said.
Elza faces up to life in prison on the arson charge and up to five additional years in prison for the destruction of property.
The McGee family is scheduled to testify at the sentencing hearing on December 2. That date could change depending on scheduling.