By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A Hartland Township man accused of setting a large barn fire in September has entered a plea.

33-year-old Michael Paul Nester was charged with arson and malicious destruction of property charges that stemmed from a suspicious fire and property damage that occurred at a property located off of Clyde Road, east of Hartland Road, in the early morning hours of September 8th. In court Friday, he entered a no contest plea. In exchange, prosecutors agreed to lower Nester's status from a fourth-time habitual offender to a third-time habitual offender. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such at sentencing.

Nester was arrested after he was identified as a person of interest in the barn fire and was taken into custody on a probation violation for a previous larceny conviction. Responding Livingston County Sheriff’s deputies determined that a barn at the location was fully involved and that a vehicle on scene had fresh damage that was not related to the fire. The property owner also reported that a boat on the property had recently been intentionally damaged.

Nester faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced January 7th.