Girl could still be charged in school fire

YOUNGSTOWN — More serious charges could be filed against a girl who was charged with criminal damaging in last May’s multimillion-dollar fire at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center.

The criminal damaging charge and a charge of obstructing official business were dropped against Pamela Schindler, who was 17 when the charges were filed in July.

She was to go on trial Monday in the county juvenile court, but the charges were dismissed without prejudice, said court administrator Anthony D’Apolito on Tuesday.

That means the charges could be refiled, he explained.

Assistant Prosecutor Kerry Limbian of the juvenile court said Wednesday that after talking to witnesses, the office determined that an arson or aggravated-arson charge — either charge is a felony — could be filed against Schindler.

She declined to say what led the prosecutor’s office to believe the more serious charges could be warranted.

Limbian said there is a witness she still has to interview, but charges will be filed in the case in the near future. Either a more serious charge will be filed or the original charges will be refiled, she said.

The May 4 fire caused $8 million in damage to the main building of the school on Palmyra Road in Canfield.

It began in a multimedia lab when a bucket of solvent caught fire. A student threw the flaming bucket into a sink, which splashed the solvent and spread the flames.

After a three-month investigation, Canfield police accused Schindler of lighting a cigarette lighter near the solvent.

No one was injured in the fire, but a wing of the school was destroyed. The rest of the building had heat and smoke damage.

Students finished the school year in the Gordon D. James Career Center in Lordstown.

Schindler, of the South Range school district, and another student charged in the fire, Kyle Layne, 19, of Alliance, have since graduated.

Layne did not provide accurate information during the investigation, police said. He pleaded no contest in September to a charge of obstructing official business, was found guilty and was placed on probation.