Man gets probation for setting 2 fires within hours at same Dayton duplex

Montgomery County Courts Building. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Montgomery County Courts Building. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

A Dayton man who set two fires within three hours last summer at the same duplex will avoid jail.

Kevin S. Carter Jr., 43, was sentenced Friday by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge E. Gerald Parker Jr. to up to five years of probation. He pleaded guilty Aug. 22 to one felony count of arson via a bill of information.

As part of his plea agreement, two charges of aggravated arson and one of aggravated menacing were dismissed.

The Dayton Fire Department responded twice July 8, 2023, to a duplex in the 200 block of Xenia Avenue in Dayton. Crews were dispatched at 3:46 p.m. for the first fire, and again at 5:56 p.m. for a second fire, said Capt. Brad French.

Kevin S. Carter Jr. Photo courtesy of the Montgomery County Jail

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Firefighters remained on the scene for 1½ hours following the first call and an hour and 20 minutes for the second call he said.

Both fires were inside the two-story duplex, and fire investigators determined both were set intentionally. No injuries were reported as a result of either fire, French said.

A criminal complaint filed in Dayton Municipal Court stated that Carter “did by means of fire or explosion, knowingly cause physical harm to an occupied structure.”

Following his sentencing, Carter also must register as an arson offender, according to court documents. Ohio law requires people convicted of arson, aggravated arson and related arson offenses to register annually for life with the sheriff’s office of the county in which they live.

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