A man whose face was burned as he set fire to his car to avoid loan payments in December received probation and

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8TC suspended prison sentence for the scheme in Howard Circuit Court yesterday.

Nett Franklin Missick, 22, of Washington was given the sentence after pleading guilty to one count of setting fire to personal property to defraud the loan company of the $5,345 he owed for his 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier.

Judge Raymond Kane Jr. sentenced Missick to 18 months in prison, but suspended all of the term. However, he ordered Missick to complete three years' supervised probation.

As part of the sentence, Missick also must pay the money he owes for the car, which was destroyed in the fire, to the loan company, General Motors Acceptance Corp. of Landover.

A charge of making false statements to police was dropped by the prosecution as part of the plea agreement.

"I understand what I did was a mistake," Missick told Judge Kane. "I tried to get a quick fix to a long-term problem. I didn't see any other way out."

Missick, who was not seriously injured, told police that he decided to destroy the car and report the loss to his insurance company because he was having trouble making payments for the vehicle.

A co-defendant, Onis Anthony Francis, 23, of the 9600 block of Barrel House Road in North Laurel, is scheduled for a Howard Circuit Court trial on June 29 for allegedly helping Missick with the scheme.

In the incident, police officers were called to Mr. Francis' apartment early Dec. 13, where Missick reported that he was a carjacking victim.

Missick told police he ran to Mr. Francis' apartment for help after someone pulled him from his Cavalier. He said the assailant threw gasoline on him, ignited the fuel and drove off with the car.

Missick was then flown to the Francis Scott Key Medical Center for treatment of second-degree burns while investigators questioned Mr. Francis.

Mr. Francis, who initially gave police a false name, admitted that Missick offered him money to get rid of his car.

After being treated and released for his injuries, Missick admitted to detectives that he offered to pay Mr. Francis to destroy his car. When Mr. Francis procrastinated, Missick said, he decided to do it himself.

A police report says Missick and Mr. Francis set fire to the car along Harding Road near the Rocky Gorge Reservoir in Scaggsville and went to Mr. Francis' apartment to get help for Missick's injuries.