Paynesville man sentenced to 18 years in prison after burning home with daughter inside

A 48-year-old Paynesville man who was charged with arson and murder in the death of his daughter was sentenced on Friday to 18 years in prison.

According to court documents, John Sean Newport has been convicted of a felony and is sentenced to 18 years at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in St. Cloud. Newport has already served 710 days in prison.

According to the complaint, on July 23, 2019, John Newport’s daughter, Jamey Newport, called police saying her father was dumping gas in the home and said he was going to start it on fire. She then began yelling for help, and said she couldn’t get out, the complaint states. Dispatchers then lost communication with her.

The first officer who arrived on the scene saw black smoke coming from the mobile home’s front door. He ran to it to see if he could gain access, the complaint states. The officer could not extinguish the fire, as the home was fully engulfed, and he had to retreat after trying to use a fire extinguisher.

The officer saw John Newport at the front of the home, yelling. He tried to run through the door, then attempted to enter through the window. However, the officer restrained him to prevent further injury, the complaint stated.

Firefighters arrived and immediately worked to extinguish the fire, the complaint stated. Firefighters entered and removed Jamey from the home. Life-saving measures were attempted and she was transported to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

An investigation indicated John had been arguing with Jamey around the time of the fire, and authorities found a Facebook post from John expressing his intent to burn the mobile home.