Man accused of burning his home

The Austintown man is wanted in a theft in Phoenix.

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN — A township man was in the Mahoning County Jail accused of setting his North Turner Road home on fire.

Police arrested Charles E. Field Jr., 57, Friday in the parking lot outside Mike’s Lounge, Mahoning Avenue. Field is charged with arson in the Thursday blaze that destroyed his home.

Field is to appear today in Mahoning County Court, said Andy Frost III, assistant fire chief.

The arrest followed an investigation by the township fire department with assistance from police, said detective Sgt. Dan Kosco.

Field used several aliases, the detective said, and was also wanted on a 1995 warrant from the Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff’s Department in Phoenix charging him with theft.

Kosco said that the Phoenix authorities want Field extradited to that jurisdiction and Field remains in jail. No further information was available about the charge from Phoenix, and authorities there couldn’t be reached.

The detective said Field’s motive and the exact methods used to start the fire remain under investigation.

“There was definitely an accelerant used,” the detective said.

Firefighters at the scene of the early-morning blaze suspected arson. High winds that day hampered firefighters’ efforts. They had to redirect trucks on the way to the fire to alternate routes because of downed trees and power lines.

No injuries were reported.