Those indicted were Nicholas Kelch, 30, of Greenville; Ashley Howard, 35, of Dayton; and Stephanie Cahill, 38, of Fairborn.
Kelch and Howard have pleaded, while charges against Cahill are pending.
Kelch pleaded guilty to felony aggravated arson, while other charges of conspiracy and tampering with evidence were dismissed. Howard also pleaded guilty to aggravated arson while other charges of conspiracy, attempted arson and tampering with evidence were dismissed.
Credit: Miami County Jail
Credit: Miami County Jail
Prison terms of 3-5 years for both Kelch and Howard were recommended. Howard’s sentencing is scheduled for July 16. A sentencing date was not set immediately for Kelch.
A final pretrial conference for Cahill, who has pleaded not guilty, is scheduled in August.
The investigation report states that the fire possibly was related to a drug debt and that evidence showed a Molotov cocktail was used in a first attempt to set the house on fire between Sept. 2 and Sept. 6.
The second fire was late Sept. 6, and destroyed the residence. Investigators said the fire was not a rekindle of the earlier fire but a separate incident. A firefighter found a credit card in the road in front of the house that belonged to Kelch, the report stated.
A witness told investigators the day after the fire that he saw a suspicious vehicle in front of the house around the time of the fire. Deputies reviewed Flock cameras installed by the sheriff’s office nearby and saw a vehicle like that described by the witness. The vehicle had been rented in Greenville by Kelch, the report said.
Videos from a gas station and searches, including one of the vehicle, helped investigators in identifying other suspects.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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