Man sentenced to prison for burning down camper

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

LUDINGTON — A 41-year-old Mason County man was sentenced in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court by Judge Susan K. Sniegowski Tuesday, April 14, to 28 months to seven and a half years in prison after burning down a camper trailer.

Brandon Joseph LeClair, 41, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree arson, aggravated stalking and second-offense habitual offender, Dec. 16, 2025.

LeClair

“He was on bond for third-offense domestic violence, and his sentencing on that case was adjourned,” said Mason County Prosecuting Attorney Beth Hand. “That night, he went and burned down the camper at the property where he used to live and where the protected party lived, who was his wife at the time — the same victim of the domestic violence. He engaged in all kinds of voicemails and text messages, threatening her and threatening her family and threatening to burn down the camper first, and then move to the house, and threatened to kill her. It was horrible.”

The arson occurred Nov. 12-13, 2024 in Victory Township, said the prosecutor. The camper trailer was burned completely to the ground. 

Charges of preparation to burn property and malicious use of telecommunications were dismissed. The dismissal of the charges did not affect his sentencing guidelines, said Hand. 

“Since he was on bond, the judge had the discretion of sentencing him to consecutive time, which she did. He hasn’t finished serving his domestic violence sentence. I was told by the Michigan Department of Corrections that he was originally supposed to get out in March of 2026, and he did something that the parole board said, ‘Nope, you’re doing another year.’ So he has to do another year, and then he will start serving his sentence.”

Hand said that she recommended a 34-month minimum, which is the maximum term the guidelines allow. 

LeClaire received credit for 28 days served in jail. He is currently incarcerated in the Earnest C. Brooks Correctional Facility in Muskegon, according to the MDOC records.

He was sentenced in Mason County’s 51st Circuit Court Dec. 10, 2024 to 14 months to five years in prison for the third-offense domestic violence conviction. ‎He received a concurrent term of one year and one day to two years in prison for interfering with electronic communications. 

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