Arsonist sent to prison, ordered to pay nearly $820,000 in restitution 

January 21, 2026

Cybert

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

LUDINGTON — A 53-year-old Ludington man was sentenced to 15-50 years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $820,000 in restitution for convictions of second-degree arson, third-offense domestic violence and third-degree child abuse in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Patrick Joseph Cybert pleaded guilty to the charges, Nov. 12, after setting fire to a historic house the night of Sept. 4, 2024.

Cybert was arrested early the next morning by Ludington police officers following two criminal incidents that occurred in separate locations — the house fire at 205 N. Gaylord Ave. and the assault and child abuse incident in the 500 block of East Tinkham Avenue.

Firefighters stated that the house was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and the front of it was engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene. The blaze severely damaged the historic home.

Prior to the fire call, police officers had responded to a domestic disturbance in the 500 block of East Tinkham Avenue. They discovered that Cybert assaulted a juvenile and a 52-year-old woman before fleeing the scene.

Cybert received two additional prison terms of four to 40 years and 34 months to 15 years, which run concurrently to the 15-50 term. He received credit for 503 days served in jail. In addition to the $819,970.87 in restitution, he was also ordered to pay $334 in fines and costs.

“The restitution is for the house, and the money will go to the insurance company,” said Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand. “Since he will be in prison, there is no payment plan per se, but the money will come out of his prisoner’s ‘trust account’ — that is if money goes into the account.
“The defendant said loud and clear at his very first arraignment that he was guilty of everything,” said Prosecutor Hand. “However, the defendant rejected an earlier Cobbs evaluation from the court and ended up pleading on the day of trial — over a year later — to three of the four charged felonies as habitual fourth offender. The dismissal of the one count did not affect the sentencing guidelines.” One count of carrying a concealed weapon was dismissed.
“The defendant pleaded guilty without any sort of agreement as to his sentencing. The court sentenced the defendant to the top end of the guideline range.
“The victim in this case spoke passionately and eloquently about how these horrific acts impacted her life and the lives of her children.
“It is horrifying that a man would take a home from his family,” said Hand. “It is equally incomprehensible that a father would shove his 12-year-old son to the floor and kick him in the stomach, because his son came to the aid of his mother while being assaulted by his father. In my opinion, the defendant deserves every day of the 15-year sentence he received. In addition to the harm he caused his family, his actions put many first responders at risk in their efforts to control and extinguish this fire. When a house is engulfed in flames in a neighborhood setting, there is a real risk that neighboring homes may also be damaged.
“The defendant’s actions were absolutely senseless and done out of pure rage and vindictiveness targeting his then significant other. The Ludington Police Department acted swiftly and courageously, as did the Ludington Fire Department, Michigan State Police and Mason County sheriff’s deputies. We are a lucky community to have such dedicated men and women who protect and serve without hesitation. The thorough investigation conducted by the Ludington Police Department made the defendant’s chances of success at trial slim. It is because of the investigation, in large part, one can assume the defendant chose to plead.”

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