Teen to face trial over fire at school

By Ed Runyan

Teen to face trial over fire at school

A replacement and expansion project at the school is expected to start this summer.

YOUNGSTOWN — An 18-year-old Salem woman is set to stand trial at 9 a.m. June 16 in Mahoning County Juvenile Court on two counts of aggravated arson after being accused of setting the fire that caused $14 million in damage May 4 at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center in Canfield.

Pamela Schindler appeared for a hearing Wednesday in the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center before Magistrate Richard White with her attorney, Gus Theofilos.

Theofilos and Kerry Limbian, an assistant prosecutor with the juvenile court, discussed the witness list each side plans to submit to the court and the sharing of evidence, such as a report from the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office that Theofilos said he does not have.

White scheduled another hearing for 1:30 p.m. April 21 and ordered that Schindler remain in the custody of her parents in Salem.

Juvenile court judges preside over juvenile trials without a jury, said Anthony D’Apolito, the court’s administrator.

If convicted on the two aggravated arson charges, Schindler could be placed in juvenile custody until she is 21, Limbian said. Lesser penalties are also possible, she said.

Schindler was 17 when she is accused of lighting a cigarette lighter over a bucket of solvent that students were using to clean up spilled paint. A student threw the blazing bucket into a sink, but the solvent splashed onto the counter and wall and the flames spread.

The fire caused $14 million in damage to the “C” wing of the school, on Palmyra Road. That figure includes the cost of replacing the building’s contents, said Roan Craig, superintendent.

Schindler and another student, Kyle Layne, 19, of Alliance, were both charged with a misdemeanor charge of obstructing official business in the months after the fire. Layne was later convicted on the charge in Mahoning County Area Court in Canfield, fined $100, placed on probation and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service.

Officials say Schindler and Layne were charged with obstructing for failing to provide accurate information during the investigation.

Schindler was charged in January with the more serious felony offenses, which accuse her of knowingly causing the fire, Limbian said. Schindler also still faces a misdemeanor obstructing charge.

The 40,000-square foot “C” wing formerly housed social studies, math, art and adult education classes, plus guidance offices and other areas. It has been removed except for one wall, Craig said.

Officials hope to put a 70,000-square-foot, $14-million rebuilding and expansion project out to bid this month and award bids in May. The project will provide a replacement for the destroyed wing, as well as space for an expansion officials had been planning before the fire.

Craig said she hopes construction can begin this summer. Construction is expected to take two years.

runyan@vindy.com