Jonathan Young

WARREN, Pa. — A continuance was granted in Warren County Court regarding a motion to dismiss a charge against a Jamestown man tied to a rash of arsons allegedly committed last year.

The continuance issued Thursday involves a theft charge against 20-year-old Jonathan H. Young stemming from an incident in Pine Grove Township, Pa. For the last year, the Jamestown man has been facing charges in Warren and Butler counties in Pennsylvania as well as in Chautauqua County after police say he intentionally set multiple fires over a 30-day span last March.

County prosecutors and Young’s lawyer were set to hear a motion this morning in front of Warren County Judge Gregory Hammond to dismiss the theft charge. The hearing, at the request of the defense, has been moved to Tuesday, July 24.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, a Pine Grove Township man called Pennsylvania State Police on March 27, 2017, after noticing his red Toyota Corolla had been stolen either that day or the night before. A week later, on April 5, 2017, troopers received a call from authorities in Butler County stating that the sedan had been recovered in Oil City, Pa.

In the affidavit, Young reportedly told police he walked from New York to Russell, Pa., via Route 62. He entered a garage sometime between March 26 and March 27 on Market Street (Route 62 in Pine Grove Township) and into a residence where he took the keys to the Corolla.

Young said he wasn’t sure if anyone was home at the time of the burglary. He told troopers he opened the garage and left in the car before traveling to Oil City. That same day Young said he abandoned the vehicle because he did not want to be seen in a “hot car,” the affidavit of probable cause notes.

Young was sentenced in April in Butler County Court after pleading guilty to arson for a March 28, 2017, blaze set in Slippery Rock Township, Pa. Young was reportedly spotted setting fire to the two-story home, located about two hours south of Jamestown, and later taken into custody. He was facing three felony counts of arson, in addition to one count each of burglary, attempted burglary, criminal mischief, criminal trespass, possession of an instrument of crime, theft and summary dangerous burning before he accepted a plea deal.

According to the Butler Eagle newspaper, Young’s plea agreement called for a sentence of 15 to 30 months in jail, most of which had already been served while he awaited trial. He has been in Warren County since May.

Locally, police allege Young intentionally set a dozen fires in Jamestown and Falconer between March 2 and March 25 of last year. Most of the fires were set to vacant properties, though 15 people were displaced after a fire March 22, 2017, in downtown Falconer. Young is set to face the charges once court action is completed in Warren County.