Austintown arson case sent to common pleas court

AUSTINTOWN

A man who allegedly set fire to his ex-girlfriend's garage, truck, and home had his case bound over to the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court this morning after a preliminary hearing.

John P. Petroff, 41, of Youngstown, faces five felony aggravated arson charges and his bond was set at $250,000 cash or surety last week.

Authorities found Petroff at a home near his ex-girlfriend's home July 30 after he allegedly set fire to her garage and truck and caused damage to 160 S. Navarre Ave. and a neighboring home.

Petroff told authorities that he had been sitting in a chair all night, but according to the police report, officers saw smoke coming from his leg and skin dripping off.

He received medical treatment at St. Elizabeth Health Center before being transported to the Mahoning County Jail.

Petroff appeared in Mahoning Area Court this morning with a cane and bandages on his leg. Mahoning County Assistant Prosecutor Ken Cardinal called two witnesses to the stand, a neighbor who chased Petroff down to the Potomac home he ran to after allegedly setting the blaze, and Tom Neff, arson investigator with Austintown Fire.

Neff said Petroff poured gas from a plastic gas can throughout the garage and that led to the fire.