Five charged in blaze at old Champion Steel

By STACY MILLBERG - Staff Writer - smillberg@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

November 17, 2008 10:47 pm

— JEFFERSON — Charges have been filed against two adults and three juveniles in connection with a fire at the former Champion Steel building in Orwell Halloween night, that has been ruled as arson.
Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Ted Barger said one of the adults is charged with four felonies and five to six misdemeanors including arson, breaking and entering and several counts of contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child. The three juveniles are being charged with breaking and entering. The other adult suspect is being charged with arson, breaking and entering and several counts of contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a child, according to reports.
The arson investigation also led to a stolen vehicle complaint and charges of grand theft are being filed against one of the adult suspects as well as criminal trespassing charges against both of the adult suspects. The vehicle was recovered the next day, Barger said.
The five suspects allegedly jumped a six-foot high chain-link fence with barbed wire to enter the Champion Steel building between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Oct. 31. The suspects tried to start a fire but were unsuccessful. They returned to the building at 11 p.m. and the two adult suspects started a fire and sprayed cans of a flammable substance on the fire. When the fire became large and out-of-control, the suspects fled on bicycles on the Western Reserve Greenway Trail, according to reports.
“Two of the juveniles involved pretty much confessed everything as far as their involvement,” Barger said. “We pretty much completed the investigation within a week. What took so long was trying to locate the owner (of Champion Steel).”
Champion Steel went bankrupt in 2002. The property was eventually sold to Sautter Brothers Inc. in Galion. The building has been vacant for approximately five years.
Fire reports indicate the fire started in the women’s restroom on the first floor of the main office building. A few cans of what appeared to be paint thinner were also found at the scene.
All five of the suspects are from the Orwell area. Once the charges are reviewed by the Ashtabula County Prosecutor’s Office, arrest warrants will be issued, Barger said.
The investigation was a collaborative effort among the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, Orwell Village Police Department and Trumbull County Fire Marshal.

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