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3 indicted on arson charges

Three young Washington County men involved in an arson at a Marietta home full of residents were among 22 people indicted by a Washington County Grand Jury this month.

Stephen C. Albert, 19, of 104 Riley Drive Apt. 2, Marietta, was indicted on six first-degree felony counts of aggravated arson and one second-degree felony count of aggravated arson.

Two other co-defendants, Seth E. Lawrence, 20, of 300 Holly St., Marietta, and Troy A. Johnson, 19, of 2065 Tick Ridge Road, Vincent, were both each indicted on six first-degree felony counts of complicity in aggravated arson and one second-degree felony count of complicity in aggravated arson.

According to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office, the three men acted together to intentionally set fire to a home at 206 S. Fifth St. during the early morning hours of May 7.

“There were six persons in the house at the time of the fire, including a 4-year-old and a functionally-impaired adult, and they all made it out, but just barely,” said Washington County Prosecutor Kevin Rings. “The house was destroyed.”

Lawrence and Albert were already being held in the Washington County Jail for involvement in a break-in at Rink’s Flea Market around the same time when they were questioned about the arson.

Johnson was accused and later indicted in connection to a break-in at the Marietta KFC, but has not be arrested. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is still on the lookout for him.

“The first six counts were for a fire or explosion that knowingly caused substantial risk to a person, one for each victim in the house,” Rings said. “The seventh count relates to the fact that it was an occupied structure.”

The state fire marshal determined that the fire was incendiary in nature, meaning it required an outside presence and fuel source to ignite, and was determined to have been set on the front porch.

Two juveniles, in addition to the three adults, are also facing pending charges in juvenile court at this time.

Other indictments:

– Logan Hills, 35, of 4301 10th Ave. Apt. 304B, Parkersburg, was indicted on one third-degree felony count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

According to Rings, Hills was involved in sexual conduct on multiple occasions with a child who was older than 13 but younger than 16 at a residence in Washington County. The victim did not give Hills permission to engage in the activity.

– Thomas R. Voisinet, 34, of 485 Muskingum River Road, Marietta, was indicted on one second-degree felony count of felonious assault.

According to Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Harrison Crumrine, Voisinet was involved in an incident at his own residence on June 3 involving a friend of his daughter.

Voisinet, who was allegedly intoxicated, attacked Stephen Dailey with a knife, cutting him several times.

Two Belpre men of the same address were each indicted on a second-degree felony count of illegal manufacture of methamphetamine and one third-degree felony count of illegal assembly or possession of chemicals for the manufacture of drugs.

– Dustin A. Adams, 27, and Erick A. Cline, 29, both of 2809 Beach Drive, Apt B, Belpre, were bothinvolved in a meth lab in their Belpre residence during July 7 and July 8, according to Rings.

– Danny J. Southers, 63, of 18553 County Road 9, New Matamoras, was indicted on one third-degree felony count of cultivation of marijuana.

According to Rings, Southers was followed home by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on June 22 after law enforcement discovered he had been wandering the roads in the middle of the night.

“They went to the residence and inside found that he was drying marijuana in excess of 1,000 grams,” Rings said.

– Douglas A. Hendershot, Jr., 43, of 625 Green St., Newport, was also indicted on one third-degree felony count of cultivation of marijuana for a similar but unrelated incident.

On July 28, the sheriff’s office was notified of a possible fight in front of Hendershot’s residence.

“They went to the defendant’s residence and found a strong odor of marijuana and marijuana drying outside the residence in excess of 5,000 grams,” Rings said. “We suspect that whoever called in the fight might have made it up to get the sheriff to the house.”

– Shawn B. Haga, 34, of 512A Aurora St., Marietta, was indicted on one fourth-degree felony count of assault of a peace officer, one first-degree felony count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, one second-degree misdemeanor count of resisting arrest and one unscheduled misdemeanor count of operating a motor vehicle without reasonable control. On July 22, Haga was involved in a drunk driving stop after he drove his car into the Muskingum River.

“It was later discovered that he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs or a combination of both,” Rings said, noting that Haga fought back at law enforcement when they tried to arrest him. “The night went from bad to worse for him.”

– Justin A. Alexander, 37, of 145 Blocksom St. Apt. E, Zanesville, was indicted on one second-degree felony count of escape. Alexander allegedly violated his post-release control specifications in Belpre on June 29 in connection to a voluntary manslaughter conviction out of Muskingum County. Alexander has been on post-release control since May 2013.

Two Marietta men were both indicted on a fourth-degree misdemeanor count of cultivation of marijuana.

– Leo E. Hupp, 53, of 280 Summers Road Apt 2, Marietta, and Darren W. Noftsager, 56, of 115 Dean St., Marietta, were both found to be growing marijuana together in Marietta in an amount less than 200 grams. The case will be sent to Marietta Municipal Court for further prosecution.

– Natasha M. Salyer, 24, of 3539 Veto Road, Vincent, was indicted on one first-degree felony count of aggravated burglary and one first-degree misdemeanor count of assault.

According to Crumrine, Salyer went to a residence at 1111 Cisler Lane in March, and even though she was denied permission to enter, Salyer and another unidentified suspect pushed in the door and assaulted both of the home’s occupants. Nothing was stolen.

– Nina M. Male, 34, of 10850 State Route 550, Vincent, was indicted on one fourth-degree felony count of theft.

“It’s essentially a welfare fraud case,” Crumrine said. “The allegation is that between May and August 2013, she received childcare benefits that she was not eligible for when it was discovered that there was someone else living in her house-the father of one of her kids.”

Male allegedly failed to confirm that the man lived there, which would have changed her eligibility to receive benefits, which were in excess of $7,500.

– Kristopher M. Welch, 23, of 720 Main St., Belpre, was indicted on one fifth-degree felony count of breaking and entering after a June 1 incident at Ohio HomeCare in Belpre. “He broke in through a window there after hours and took a laptop, which they later recovered from his house,” Crumrine said.

– Jassandra C. Johnston, 34, of 683 Wynncrest Drive, Marietta, was indicted on two fifth-degree felony counts of forgery and two first-degree misdemeanor counts of theft.

According to assistant prosecutor Amy Graham, Johnston was forging tip receipts while working at the Silver Moon Diner in Vincent.

“She was adding extra money to her tip,” Graham said. “She racked up $50 extra, but we only came up with two victims and two receipts (although there were more).”

Johnston altered both bills without customer permission on May 16, adding $10 extra to each.

– Joseph L. Greathouse, 28, of 455 Rummer Road, was indicted on one fourth-degree felony count of domestic violence.

The indictment against Greathouse was not a new charge, but rather a correction to the indictment handed down at the start of August, which indicated that the victim in the case was Greathouse’s sister.

The grand jury corrected the error, specifying that Greathouse was involved in a domestic violence case in which the victim was his wife, Andrea Greathouse.

– Robert G. Collins, 33, of 2517 Grand Ave., Parkersburg, was indicted on one fifth-degree felony count of theft that stemmed from incidents that occurred between November and December of 2014 and last June.

“It took place at his mother’s house on Drag Strip Road in Belpre, where some of her jewelry came up missing, which was five or six rings,” Crumrine said. “He ended up pawning those at a shop, and they were worth more than $1,000, making it a felony.”

– Stephen M. Six, 47, of 836 Pike St. Apt 19, Marietta, was indicted on one fourth-degree felony count of domestic violence and one first-degree misdemeanor count of assault.

According to Crumrine, Six attacked a friend of his live-in girlfriend’s, Stephen Parton, at the couple’s residence, and eventually showed up to Parton’s house and attacked his wife on July 4.

– Shanna A. Lenox, 31, of 158 Shiloh Road, Waverly, was indicted on one third-degree felony count of complicity in grand theft of firearms. Between December 2013 and February 2014, Lenox was assisting co-defendant Laura N. Cumberledge in stealing a number of firearms from residences in Belpre.

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