Some 51 vacant North Side buildings were torched over nine months.
YOUNGSTOWN — A city man has drawn a four-year prison term after pleading guilty as charged to six counts of arson.
Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court imposed the sentence Thursday upon Jake Perrotta, 25, of Cooper Street. The counts pertain to fires on Dec. 19, 25 and 30, 2005, and Jan. 27, 2006. Two counts are dated March 30, 2006.
Perrotta was arrested and jailed under $1 million bond in September 2006, and he'll get credit for 232 days he's already been locked up. Perrotta confessed to an arson investigator that he set the fires for fun, an assistant city prosecutor said, adding that Perrotta's actions put numerous firefighters' lives at risk.
Perrotta was charged with setting fires in vacant houses at 16 Tacoma Ave., 51 Woodbine Ave., 12 Saranac Ave., 52 New York Ave., 43 McGuffey Road and 33 Tacoma Ave.
Lt. Kevin Johnson, an arson investigator, said 51 vacant North Side structures, mostly houses, were torched between July 2005 and March 2006, some of them set ablaze more than once.
The deal
Perrotta's sentence is contingent on his cooperation as a prosecution witness against Jason R. Hagens, 24, of Baldwin Street, who is scheduled for a jury trial July 16 on 15 counts of arson and one count of aggravated arson before Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Hagens, who was indicted March 1, is charged with setting fires on June 14, 2005, at 35 Tacoma Ave.; July 3, 2005, at 19 Baldwin St.; July 14, 2005, at 721/2 Benita Ave.; July 19, 2005, at 787 Wick Ave. and 54 Sycamore St.; July 30, 2005, at 72 Benita Ave.; Sept. 10, 2005, at 66 Benita Ave.; Nov. 28, 2005 at 59 Saranac Ave.; Dec. 13, 2005, at 117 Benita Ave.; Dec. 22, 2005, at 65 Indiana Ave.; Dec. 25, 2005, at 43 McGuffey Road; Dec. 28, 2005, at 108 Thornton Ave.; Jan. 8, 2006, at 1322 Florencedale Ave.; Jan. 10, 2006, at 1422 Bryson St.; and April 2, 2006, at 24 McGuffey Road.
The aggravated arson count says he endangered city firefighters as they fought the July 19, 2005, blazes.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Some 51 vacant North Side buildings were torched over nine months.
YOUNGSTOWN — A city man has drawn a four-year prison term after pleading guilty as charged to six counts of arson.
Judge Maureen A. Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court imposed the sentence Thursday upon Jake Perrotta, 25, of Cooper Street. The counts pertain to fires on Dec. 19, 25 and 30, 2005, and Jan. 27, 2006. Two counts are dated March 30, 2006.
Perrotta was arrested and jailed under $1 million bond in September 2006, and he'll get credit for 232 days he's already been locked up. Perrotta confessed to an arson investigator that he set the fires for fun, an assistant city prosecutor said, adding that Perrotta's actions put numerous firefighters' lives at risk.
Perrotta was charged with setting fires in vacant houses at 16 Tacoma Ave., 51 Woodbine Ave., 12 Saranac Ave., 52 New York Ave., 43 McGuffey Road and 33 Tacoma Ave.
Lt. Kevin Johnson, an arson investigator, said 51 vacant North Side structures, mostly houses, were torched between July 2005 and March 2006, some of them set ablaze more than once.
The deal
Perrotta's sentence is contingent on his cooperation as a prosecution witness against Jason R. Hagens, 24, of Baldwin Street, who is scheduled for a jury trial July 16 on 15 counts of arson and one count of aggravated arson before Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.
Hagens, who was indicted March 1, is charged with setting fires on June 14, 2005, at 35 Tacoma Ave.; July 3, 2005, at 19 Baldwin St.; July 14, 2005, at 721/2 Benita Ave.; July 19, 2005, at 787 Wick Ave. and 54 Sycamore St.; July 30, 2005, at 72 Benita Ave.; Sept. 10, 2005, at 66 Benita Ave.; Nov. 28, 2005 at 59 Saranac Ave.; Dec. 13, 2005, at 117 Benita Ave.; Dec. 22, 2005, at 65 Indiana Ave.; Dec. 25, 2005, at 43 McGuffey Road; Dec. 28, 2005, at 108 Thornton Ave.; Jan. 8, 2006, at 1322 Florencedale Ave.; Jan. 10, 2006, at 1422 Bryson St.; and April 2, 2006, at 24 McGuffey Road.
The aggravated arson count says he endangered city firefighters as they fought the July 19, 2005, blazes.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
A city man has drawn a four-year prison term after pleading guilty as charged to six counts of arson.
Judge Maureen A....
