A Jamestown man has been arrested for allegedly setting 12 local arson fires, including five during a 24-hour period late last month on the city's north side. In addition, Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings says 19-year-old Jonathan Young is also accused of setting the huge fire that destroyed nearly a half-block area of West Main Street in Falconer. Snellings say Young was arrested in Butler County, Pennsylvania back on Tuesday, March 28th on unrelated arson, auto theft, and burglary charges...
Harry Snellings: Jonathan Young charged with 12 counts of arson
Snellings says Jamestown Police received a call from the Butler County Jail on Monday, saying that they had a suspect in their facility they believed was from the Jamestown area charged with arson. However, they said that when Young was arrested, he had no identification and gave authorities several false names. He's being held in Butler County on $75,000 bail, pending further court action.
Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson says the 2nd-degree arson charges are for the two occupied buildings that were set on fire, including 29 to 39 West Main Street in Falconer. No one was hurt in that huge blaze, which displaced 19 residents living in apartments there, and some seven businesses. The assembled media quizzed Snellings about an online report that Young had apparently been taking medication for mental health issues and that he had gone off them before the first arson fire at 621 East 6th Street in Jamestown on March 2nd. Swanson would neither confirm nor deny the report nor comment on it.
