SOUTH BEND — A judge sentenced a 19-year-old man Wednesday morning to serve eight years in prison in connection with a fire in April 2007 at Park Jefferson Apartments that caused minimal damage.

Justin A. Brooks told Judge John M. Marnocha that he and others had set the fire in the hallway of an apartment building as a prank, and that he regretted his actions. He also said that since then he’s been “trying to do the right thing.”

“I’ve been taking classes, I got a job,” Brooks said.

But the judge responded with, “There are pranks and there are pranks,” before elaborating.

“Here we’re talking about setting fire to an occupied building where people lived and putting in danger all of these people’s lives in an apartment complex... and putting in danger those people that have to respond to those situations, namely the police department and the fire department,” Marnocha said.

Brooks, of Washington, D.C., admitted in November to setting one of three fires April 24, 26 and 29 at the apartment complex. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dropped two other counts of arson, a Class B felony, each punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The fires were set at night in the hallway and wings of three buildings inside the apartment complex. No injuries were reported.