Homeowner sues for damages

The man accused of causing an explosion is in Trumbull County Jail.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — A homeowner on Washington Avenue in Girard, about 90 yards north of a home that exploded after an alleged scrap-metal theft, has sued the man accused of causing the blast.

Delores J. DePietro, 920 Washington St., seeks $16,000 in actual damages and $50,000 in punitive damages from Donald Shelley, 25, of North Avenue in Girard, for causing the damage to her home by causing the explosion Sept. 18.

The lawsuit, filed in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, is assigned to Judge John M. Stuard.

The suit accuses Shelley of damaging the natural-gas line in a home at 824 Washington on Sept. 17.

Police have charged Shelley with two counts of aggravated arson and other offenses in the explosion. He is in the county jail.

Atty. Harry J. DePietro, who filed the suit on behalf of his mother, said the house is on the same side of Washington as the home that exploded and six houses north.

The explosion caused damage to windows and window casements, carpeting, ceiling, porch and roof trusses in her home, totaling about $16,000 and counting, he said.

Authorities estimate that around 50 homes sustained damage from the explosion. DePietro said the damage to his mother’s house is typical of damage to houses nearby.