• Chaunsay Tinsley, 36, pleaded guilty Thursday in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court to a misdemeanor count of arson, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
What charges were dismissed?
• Two counts of aggravated arson were dismissed. One count was a first-degree felony, and the other was a second-degree felony.
• The charges were dismissed after the prosecutor’s office learned additional information about fireplaces and the spread of the fire.
• The Harrison Twp. fire marshal determined the age of the apartment complex and possible non-compliance installation of built-in fireplaces led the fire to spread to the attic, according to the prosecutor’s office.
• The Meadows of Catalpa management said it told residents not to use the fireplaces when they moved in. There was no evidence Tinsley was told not to use the fireplace and it was not mentioned in the unit’s lease, the prosecutor’s office said.
What was he accused of?
• On Feb. 7, a woman reported her boyfriend, later identified as Tinsley, sent her photos of himself setting her clothes on fire, according to Montgomery County Regional Dispatch records.
• When Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Camargo Drive apartment complex they could smell and see smoke.
• Deputies called the Harrison Twp. Fire Department and knocked on Tinsley’s door. He claimed there wasn’t a fire and said everything was fine, according to the prosecutor’s office.
• Firefighters arrived and discovered the fire in the apartment unit had been extinguished where it initially started, but it had also spread to the attic.
• Fire crews evacuated all 24 apartment units and extinguished the fire. Several units were destroyed.
What happens next?
• Tinsley is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 25.
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