Leavittsburg man indicted in arsons

A series of fires in November and December burned 21 homes in the city.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A Leavittsburg man faces 23 charges, including nine counts of aggravated arson, in a series of fires in the city and Warren Township, including two that killed 60 cows and horses.
Roddy M. Rudkin Jr., 22, of 465 Briggs Road, was indicted Thursday by a Trumbull County grand jury on charges related to three vacant-house fires in the city Nov. 10, 12 and 27, three occupied-house fires July 4 on Bane Street Southwest in Warren Township and another occupied-house fire July 5 at 2025 Tod Avenue in Warren Township.
Lt. Bill Monrean, who is in charge of fire investigations for the Warren Fire Department, said the three fires attributed to Rudkin in the city occurred during a 33-day period ending in late December in which 21 fires were set in the city.
He said he's happy that someone has been charged in at least some of the fires and noted the fires did stop after Rudkin was arrested in January. The investigation of the remaining fires is continuing, he said, adding that it is possible a copycat may have been at work.
Matthew Balut, an investigator with the Trumbull County Fire Investigative Unit, said the unit worked in cooperation with the Warren Fire Department on the fires attributed to Rudkin since the investigation crossed jurisdictional lines.
Animals killed
One of the farm fires Rudkin is charged with setting destroyed two barns and killed 52 cows at the Klingensmith dairy farm June 24, 2005, on Nelson Mosier Road in Leavittsburg. Damage was estimated at $500,000.
Another barn fire Rudkin is accused of starting was the May 17, 2005, blaze at 5800 Park Road in the township that killed 12 horses and a donkey on property owned by Wade Bascom. It caused in excess of $100,000 in damage, according to Rudkin's indictment.
Rudkin faces three felonies and a misdemeanor in the horse barn fire, four felonies and a misdemeanor in the cow barn fire, six felonies for the July 4 house fires, two more felonies in the July 5 house fire and six more felonies for the three November house fires in Warren.
Rudkin is in Trumbull County jail, where he is being held without bond.
A second man, Bruce E. Clearwater, 22, of 4046 Parkman Road, Leavittsburg, was indicted on a single aggravated-arson charge in a May 9, 2005, fire in Warren Township. He is free on $10,000 bond.