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Jury Selection For Young Trial To Begin Aug. 17 In PA

City firefighters at the scene of a blaze last year. P-J file photo

Jury selection for the trial of Jonathan H. Young, the city man accused of 12 separate arsons in Jamestown and Falconer, will begin Aug. 17 in Butler County Court in Pennsylvania.

Young, 19, faces multiple charges as well in Butler County, Pa., including two counts of first-degree arson, one count of second-degree arson, two counts of third-degree arson, along with misdemeanors of motor vehicle theft and possessing an instrument of crime with intent. He’s also charged with a violation for dangerous burning.

Young has been linked to 12 fires in Jamestown and Falconer between March 2 and March 25. He was apprehended on March 28 in Slippery Rock, Pa., minutes after allegedly setting a vacant home ablaze.

Court documents from both Warren and Butler counties in Pennsylvania indicate Young walked out of New York state via Route 62 sometime after March 25.

A criminal complaint filed by Pennsylvania State Police, which includes a sworn statement from Young, indicates the teen entered the garage of a Pine Grove Township resident in Warren County, Pa., the night of March 26 and the early morning of March 27. Young allegedly entered through an unlocked door into the residence, stole a set of car keys and drove off with the resident’s 2017 Toyota Corolla.

Young faces charges of burglary and motor vehicle theft, both felonies, as well as loitering and prowling at night, out of Warren County, Pa.

In Chautauqua County, Young faces two counts of second-degree arson, a class B felony; nine counts of third-degree arson, a class C felony; and one count of fifth-degree arson, a class A misdemeanor. All charges will be handled via arrest warrants through the Jamestown City Court and the Ellicott Town Court.

Young’s local targets included an occupied apartment at 621 E. Sixth St. on March 2; a vacant apartment at the same location later that same day; an abandoned home at 2840 Woodlawn Ave. on March 6; an abandoned garage at the same location on March 12; a condemned home at 441 Winsor St. on March 22; an occupied building at 29 to 39 W. Main St. in Falconer on March 22; a condemned apartment at 621 E. Sixth St. on March 23; a condemned home at 650 E. Sixth St. on March 24; a condemned home at 220 Crossman St. on March 25; a debris pile near a home at 30 W. 11th St. on March 25; a condemned home at 22 W. 11th St.; and a condemned home at 33 W. 10th St. on March 25.

According to Patrick Swanson, Chautauqua County district attorney, Young could face a potential 5 to 25 years in prison for each of his second-degree arson charges. Additional charges would collectively add a “substantial” amount of jail time, he said.

Young is expected to answer charges in Chautauqua County Court after proceedings in Pennsylvania are complete. He remains incarcerated in Butler County Prison.

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