Man in custody in Austintown house explosion

AUSTINTOWN

Police have a man in custody in the case of the South Turner Road house that exploded on Sunday.

The suspect has not been officially charged.

The house, at 2196 S. Turner, is for sale and was vacant at the time the explosion occurred, at about 8 p.m.

Witnesses said they saw a green Kia sitting in the driveway on Sunday morning, according to the police report. The car then left an hour later.

When police and fire officials investigated the home after the explosion, they found copper pipes that were bent and cut and found that the gas line had also been vandalized.

Fire Chief Andy Frost said the gas line was probably cut inadvertently while the suspect was collecting the copper.