Massive Hamilton warehouse fire: Prosecution wants teen tried as adult

Prosecutors say they intend to request a Hamilton teen facing multiple charges for allegedly setting a fire to a large Hamilton warehouse on July 25 be tried as an adult, Butler County Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Craft said during today’s hearing.

The boy, who will be 18 tomorrow, sat with his attorney, Edward Perry, for the short pre-trial hearing. He made no statements, and Perry declined comment.

The bind-over to adult court is discretionary in this case. Craft will order an evaluation of the teen and hold a probable cause hearing before deciding if the case should be sent to adult court for consideration by a grand jury.

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A pre-trial hearing was set for Sept. 3. The teen will remain housed in the county juvenile detention center until the next hearing.

“The suspect turned himself in and was taken into custody after he was notified of the charges. He was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center,” Hamilton Fire Chief Mark Mercer said on Aug. 8.

Mercer said officials believe the suspect intentionally set the fire that caused neighbors in the Lindenwald neighborhood to wake up to a huge blaze on that Thursday morning.

“A lot of cooperation with the neighbors and with people just stepping up (with information),” Mercer said about the investigation.

According to juvenile court documents, the teen trespassed at 999 Laurel Avenue with the intention of committing a crime and once inside started a fire that not only caused damage to the unoccupied structure but damaged to six other houses that were occupied at 4:45 a.m.

The teen was targeted as a suspect after a two-week joint investigation that developed compelling evidence, including video, according to Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit.

MORE: The day after: Neighbors glad suspicious Hamilton blaze destroyed ‘eyesore’ warehouse

The eyesore building has been a problem for firefighters in the past, and it erupted in flames and smoke that could be seen for miles around. It was put out with no injuries, and crews worked to demolish the standing pieces just days later.

Hamilton’s Executive Director of Public Safety, Scott Scrimizzi, said the building, which has been vacant for years, has been a hazard. The fire was so hot — 1,100 to 1,200 degrees, fire officials estimated — because the building contained plastic molds and cardboard.

Scrimizzi said the city priced demolishing the building previously, and it would have cost about $500,000.

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