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Man faces charges after fire set to ex-girlfriend's Austintown home
By ROBERT CONNELLY
AUSTINTOWN
Bond was set at $250,000 cash or surety Wednesday for a man accused of setting fire to an ex-girlfriend’s home, vehicle and garage.
John P. Petroff, 41, of Youngstown, was arraigned in Mahoning County Area Court on five aggravated arson charges. Two of the charges are for the people inside the main house, another two are for the two homes damaged by the fire, and the fifth is for damage to the fence line separating the homes.
No pleas were accepted because the charges are felonies.
Petroff said in court that he is unemployed and will need a court appointed attorney.
His preliminary hearing will be 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Investigators from the Austintown Fire Department attended his arraignment and went back to the 160 S. Navarre Ave. home to continue the investigation.
Police found Petroff Wednesday morning at a home nearby his ex-girlfriend’s house. He had burns on his leg but told police he had been home all night, according to a police report. Officers could see smoke still coming from his leg and skin dripping off.
Petroff received treatment at St. Elizabeth Medical Center before being transported to Mahoning County jail early Wednesday.
Petroff is alleged to have set fire to the home at 160 S. Navarre Ave. Authorities were called to the house at 12:14 a.m. Wednesday.
Robert Williams, assistant fire chief, said crews had the fire under control by 12:36 a.m.
Canfield Joint Fire District provided one truck, and all four stations from Austintown responded. Williams said damage is estimated at $25,000 and at roughly $10,000 for the neighbor’s home, 156 S. Navarre Ave.
A neighbor said Petroff ran from the fire, himself on fire, and took some clothes off in that neighbor’s yard and fled into the back door of 3921 Potomac Ave., a report said.
The ex-girlfriend told police she saw flames coming from underneath her truck, which was partially in the garage, and while she was trying to leave the home, the garage “exploded into flames.”
There were no injuries to residents of the homes or to firefighters. Four dogs and six puppies were rescued from the home.
Petroff was arrested early Wednesday by township police on a violation of a protection order against his ex-girlfriend. According to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s office, Petroff was personally served a temporary protection order while in jail May 22, 2013.
The protection order was sent via mail by the clerk of Common Pleas Court later, but was never delivered to Petroff. That was supposed to last until June 3, 2018, and authorities said he would be served with that final notice while in jail now.
According to the police report, Petroff and the woman have had a history in Austintown, including a case of domestic violence that led to the protective order in May 2013. He pleaded guilty to an amended charge in June 2013, online court records show.
In July 2013, a police report was filed by the victim against Petroff and a female who threatened to kill the victim and burn her house down, according to a police report. But no charges were filed.