Jonathan Young

MAYVILLE – The trial for the Jamestown man accused of setting multiple fires in the city as well as Falconer in March 2017 will begin in January.

That’s according to the Jamestown Post-Journal, which says a plea offer was rejected by the defense of Jonathan Young during a pre-trail hearing Thursday inn county court.

The hearing also involved several witnesses taking the stand from local law enforcement as well as from Pennsylvania.

Much of the defense’s questioning focused around police procedure and mental health, with the witnesses being asked about mental health and if Young showed signs of manic-depression.

Young is accused of being responsible for the following arsons in the city of Jamestown and in Falconer:

• March 2 (12:45 a.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Occupied Apartment)
• March 2 (11:27 p.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Vacant Apartment)
• March 6 (8:18 p.m.) – 2840 Woodlawn Ave. Ext., Falconer (Abandoned Home)
• March 12 (12:58 p.m.) – 2840 Woodlawn Ave. Ext, Falconer (Abandoned Garage)
• March 22 (6:30 a.m.) – 441 Winsor St., Jamestown (Condemned House)
• March 22 (7:19 a.m.) – 29 to 39 W. Main St., Falconer ( Occupied Building)
• March 23 (6:14 p.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 24 (11:05 p.m.) – 650 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (12:21 a.m.) – 220 Crossman St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (1:04 a.m.) – 30 W. 11th St., Jamestown (Debris Pile near Home)
• March 25 (1:16 a.m.) – 22 W. 11th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (2:10 a.m.) – 33 W. 10th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)

No one was injured any of the fires.

Young is facing a 25-count indictment that includes 13 felony arson charges. The most serious charge, second-degree arson, carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.

Young is being represented by the Chautauqua County Public Defender’s Office and has pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned in August.

He was already prosecuted for crimes in Pennsylvania after he fled the Jamestown area when police began closing in on him. Those crimes included stealing a vehicle and also setting fire to an abandoned farm house in Butler County, PA.

Young is being held in the Chautauqua County Jail on $1 million bail. The trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 22.

Jonathan Young

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Post-Journal says the trial of a city man accused of setting multiple fires in early 2017 will have his day in court in January.

Jury selection in the arson case against 20-year-old Jonathan Young is scheduled to begin Jan. 22 in Chautauqua County Court.

Young pleaded not guilt during his arraignment Aug. 2 on a 25-count indictment and was sent to the county jail on $1 million cash bail.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Oct. 1. Young is being defended by the Public Defender’s office.

Young is accused of setting more than a dozen fires in Jamestown and Falconer between March 2 and March 25, 2017. While most of the fires involved abandoned homes, one of the fires was the blaze at 29 to 39 W. Main St. in Falconer that had people living in the upper apartments.

Young faces two counts of second-degree arson, 11 counts of third-degree arson, one count of fifth-degree arson and 11 counts of second-degree criminal mischief.

The most serious charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.

In addition to the charges in Chautauqua County, Young also faced charges in Warren and Butler Counties Pennsylvania where he was found guilty of stealing a vehicle in nearby Russell, Pa. and then heading south where he eventually wound up in Slippery Rock and set fire to an abandoned home there. He was eventually taken into custody in Slippery Rock, where the first of his court proceedings took place.

Several officials gathered in Falconer Friday, Sept. 28 to announce the final removal of debris at a W. Main Street property that was destroyed by fire in March 2017. Those on hand included (L to R): Chautauqua County DPF Director Brad Bentley, Jamestown Development Director Vince DeJoy, Land Bank Director Gina Paradis, County Legislator Paul Whitford, Falconer Mayor James Rensel, Falconer Village Trustee  De Ette Dispenza, and County Executive George Borrello. 

FALCONER – Residents and officials in Falconer are happy to see a large amount of debris from a building destroyed by a fire more than 18 months ago is finally being removed.

On Friday morning Falconer Mayor Jim Rensel was joined by other village officials and representatives from Chautauqua County and Jamestown city government to highlight the cleanup effort at the vacant lot at 29 W. Main Street.

“We’ve had kind of a cloud hanging over the village hear, as far as this cleanup finally taking place. A lot of work went into this as far our attorneys talking with property owner attorneys and getting the property encumbered with us so that we could do this,” Rensel explained.

The vacant lot at 29 W. Main Street in the village of Falconer.

The delay in getting the debris removed largely stems from the former property owners not having adequate insurance to cover the cost. In an agreement that included the village holding the property owner harmless, ownership of the lot was transferred over from the previous owner to the village.

Rensel said that not only did the Chautauqua County Land Bank also help in facilitating the property transfer from the original owner to the village and with the cleanup effort, but the village also received help from nearby communities who provided land fill credits to Falconer so it could afford the cost of removing the debris.

“The towns of Poland, Ellington, Gerry and Carroll and the village of Celoron all assisted us with their landfill credits so that we could get this cleaned up. I humbly asked for their assistance and got a good response from them. I just can’t say enough for the teamwork involved with that. It’s very appreciated by the village residents and I want to thank everybody very much,” Rensel said.

Jamestown Development Director Vince DeJoy said the also helped Falconer with the removal process.

“The city of Jamestown, through the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency, performs demolition project management services for the Land Bank for just about every other community in Chautauqua County. We basically do all the leg work, getting all the permits, working out the bidding process, and working with the contractors to make sure it is a properly done demolition and/or clean up,” DeJoy said.

Rensel said that once the debris is removed, the village will begin moving forward with redeveloping the sight and has already been talking about possible projects at that location.

With the clean-up completed the vacant parcels are now ready for redevelopment. “The Mayor’s West Main St. Redevelopment Committee was meeting frequently in early spring when we surveyed the community and met with multiple interested developers,” said Daniel Heitzenrater, committee member and Ellicott Town Councilman. “Questions regarding site control and debris removal had stalled our work. We are excited clean-up is complete so we can get back to work.”

“We’ve been meeting right along. We’ve had development committee meetings, deciding on who wants to do our redevelopment plan,” Rensel said, adding, “This is a good day. This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning of a new chapter and with the help of our partners we’ll be able to get it done.”

Interested parties in developing the site can contact the Village of Falconer office at (716) 665-4400.

The rubble has been sitting at the lot since March 2017 when an arson fire broke out at the multi-story building in Falconer’s business district, affecting several businesses and residents who lived there.

The person who is allegedly responsible for the fire, 20 year old Jonathan Young, is still awaiting trial in County court for the incident, along with a dozen other fires he allegedly set in Jamestown during the same time period.

The Falconer Village Board during the August 2018 board meeting.

FALCONER – Officials in Falconer are expected to hear an update on the effort to redevelop an area of the business district that was destroyed by two separate fires when the village board meets Monday for its monthly meeting.

The West Main Street Development Committee – which was formed to help steer future development of the commercial block in the village – will present its recommendations after holding several meetings and also seeking input from the public.

A significant portion of the block was destroyed by two separate fires – one that took place at the start of this year and the Falconer Vac Shop building and which was believed to be accident, and another that took place in March 2017 and which was ruled an arson.

Monday’s village board meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the village Community Building and is open to the public.

Falconer Mayor James Rensel (left) and other village officials during the village board’s August 2018 board meeting.

FALCONER – The effort to clean up rubble from a fire that broke out nearly a year-and-a-half ago in the village of Falconer continues to move forward and village officials are starting to consider possible development options for the vacant space.

On Monday night Falconer Mayor James Rensel provided an update on the matter during the village’s monthly board meeting.

Local business owner Brian Nelson was on hand for the meeting and asked for an update on how things were proceeding with removing the remaining rubble and debris from the March 22, 2017 arson fire at 42 W. Main Street.

Rensel said a required court proceeding on the matter took place last week that should help to move the clean up effort along.

“We went through the court process last week and and go the property encumbered to the extent where I think we’re almost ready to get a shovel down. Once the shovel is in the ground I just don’t want to have to stop for something that just wasn’t done correctly or we forgot to dot an ‘i’ or cross a ‘t’ so last Tuesday at court we took another step forward to get a shovel in the ground and we are getting closer to that,” Rensel said, although he wasn’t able to offer a specific timeline of when the debris would finally be removed.

Fire crews work to contain a major fire on W. Main St. in the village of Falconer on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Andy Palermo, Jamestown, NY)

Village attorney Greg Peterson also said that the village is working with the Chautauqua County Land Bank, which will provide funding for the debris removal once all legal issues have been worked out. The Land Bank’s assistance is necessary because the owner of the building didn’t have adequate insurance to cover the remediation costs. As a result, the village has been working on getting the matter addressed for more than a year.

Officials add that some developed interest has already been expressed for the property and they will continue working on identifying a new use for the vacant space in the coming weeks and months.

“We’re working on that as far as developing a village plan with the [Greater Falconer Area Economic Development Committee]. We’re encouraged because when we do get the property cleaned up, there are people who are interested in development so we’re pursuing those and setting the village development plan so it’s not done helter skelter,” Rensel said.

The March 22, 2017 arson fire resulted in 15 displaced residents and several businesses being impacted. No injuries were reported. It was one of several fires in the area that was allegedly set by Jonathan Young. His local arson cases are still awaiting prosecution, due to other charges that were also filed against him in Pennsylvania that were only recently addressed with a plea agreement.

Jonathan Young

MAYVILLE – The Jamestown man accused of setting multiple fires in the city and in Falconer early 2017 has finally been arraigned on his local charges.

The Jamestown Post-Journal says 20-year-old Jonathan Young was arraigned on a 25-count indictment that includes 13 felony arson charges.

Young stands accused of setting a dozen fires in March 2017, including a major fire in the business district of Falconer that affected several businesses and residences.

The delay in his arraignment was due to his court proceedings in Pennsylvania, where he faced charges related to arson in Butler County. and vehicle theft in Warren County. He reached a plea agreement in both those cases and was sentenced, allowing his arson cases in Chautauqua County to now move forward.

Shortly after his arrest, Young was indicted by a Chautauqua County grand jury on two counts of second-degree arson, 11 counts of third-degree arson, one count of fifth-degree arson and 11 counts of second-degree criminal mischief.

The most serious charges carry a sentence of up to 25 years in prison for each count.

Young pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Thursday in Chautauqua County Court and was remanded back to the Chautauqua County Jail on $1 million cash bail.

A pre-trial conference has been scheduled Oct. 1 between the DA’s office and Young’s attorney in the Public Defender’s Office.

Jonathan Young

WARREN, PA – The Jamestown man who was charged with multiple counts of arson in 2017 has been sentenced in his burglary case in Warren County, Pennsylvania.

The Post-Journal is reporting that 21-year-old Jonathan Young pleaded guilty Monday to felony theft by unlawful taking, movable property and misdemeanor loitering and prowling at night time. Young – who is accused of setting nearly a dozen fires in Jamestown and Falconer in March 2017, is believed to have fled the area to avoid arrest and stole a vehicle in Warren County.  The charges he pleaded guilty to this week were in connection to that vehicle theft.

Young was sentenced to 39 to 78 days in jail in relation to the vehicle theft incident.

Young was already prosecuted for an arson charge in in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where he was eventually captured and brought into custody.  For his involvement in setting fire to an abandoned structure there, he was sentenced to 15-30 months in prison.

Young also faces multiple counts of arson for allegedly setting the 12 separate fires in Jamestown and Falconer. With the cases in Pennsylvania now prosecuted, his prosecution case in Chautauqua County could soon get underway.

(Fire crews work to contain a major fire on W. Main St. in the village of Falconer on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Andy Palermo, Jamestown, NY)

FALCONER – It’s been nearly a year since a major arson fire broke out on W. Main St. in Falconer, destroying a major portion of its downtown business corridor.

Since then village officials have been left waiting for the completion of the clean up to take place. Now it appears the final stage of clean up will be moving forward.

The Greater Falconer Area Economic Development Commission held a meeting on Wednesday and according to the Post-Journal, Falconer Mayor James Rensel said work is being done and progress is being made regarding cleanup of a building destroyed by fire last March.

Village attorney Greg Peterson said there’s been an agreement among the property owners to deed a portion of the land where there is debris to the village with “no strings attached.”

The Chautauqua County Land Bank has also committed some financial resources to help remove the debris.

Meanwhile, the property located at 39-43 W. Main St. that is currently condemned will be going through the town of Ellicott court system for enforcement.

Officials also say there are several opportunities to develop the space once the debris is removed and community input in future development is encouraged.

In addition to the March 2017 arson fire, Falconer officials are still reeling from another major fire on the same block that occurred in January 2018 and completely destroyed the Falconer Vac Shop business, which housed two businesses and several apartments. The official cause was never established, but investigators said that while they have to rule the cause as “undetermined” they also say nothing appears suspicious.

Jonathan Young

BUTLER, PA – A court appearance for Jonathan Young, the local man accused of 12 arsons during the course of one month in the Jamestown area, has been scheduled for May 16 in Butler Co., Pennsylvania.

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings announced last week that young was the suspect allegedly involved in the arsons that began on March 2 in Jamestown and continued for much of the month, including the March 22 fire in downtown Falconer that displaced more than a dozen residents and at least four businesses.

Young was arrested at the end of March in Butler County, Pa. after he allegedly set fire to an abandoned house near Slippery Rock. According to an article in the Jamestown Post-Journal, faces several charges in Pennsylvania, including two counts of first-degree arson, second-degree arson, two counts of third-degree arson, along with misdemeanors of motor vehicle theft. He is currently being held in Butler County on $75,000 bail.

Young is expected to answer charges in Chautauqua County Court after proceedings in Pennsylvania are complete.

His next court appearance in Butler County is scheduled for May 16, where he will be formally arraigned on the Pennsylvania charges.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown police have announced that a suspect is now in custody in connection to a string of recent arsons that took place on the city’s north side.

Jonathan Young

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings and other local officials held a news conference Wednesday afternoon, identifying 19 year-old Jonathan Young of Falconer as the suspect in a series of recent arsons in the area.

Young was arrested in Butler County, Pennsylvania on March 28 after being involved in an alleged arson incident there. Police say an investigation locally also connected him to 12 other arsons in the area, including the major fire in downtown Falconer on March 22, along with a string of arson incidents that took place bewteen March 23 and  March 25 on the Jamestown’s north side.

Chief Snellings said police believe that once a video was released to the public that purportedly showed Young leaving the scene of one of the arsons, he left the area and began moving south in to Pennsylvania.

Young is suspected of being responsible for the following arsons in the city of Jamestown and in Falconer:

• March 2 (12:45 a.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Occupied Apartment)
• March 2 (11:27 p.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Vacant Apartment)
• March 6 (8:18 p.m.) – 2840 Woodlawn Ave. Ext., Falconer (Abandoned Home)
• March 12 (12:58 p.m.) – 2840 Woodlawn Ave. Ext, Falconer (Abandoned Garage)
• March 22 (6:30 a.m.) – 441 Winsor St., Jamestown (Condemned House)
• March 22 (7:19 a.m.) – 29 to 39 W. Main St., Falconer ( Occupied Building)
• March 23 (6:14 p.m.) – 621 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 24 (11:05 p.m.) – 650 E. 6th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (12:21 a.m.) – 220 Crossman St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (1:04 a.m.) – 30 W. 11th St., Jamestown (Debris Pile near Home)
• March 25 (1:16 a.m.) – 22 W. 11th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)
• March 25 (2:10 a.m.) – 33 W. 10th St., Jamestown (Condemned Home)

No one was injured any of the fires.

(Fire crews work to contain a major fire on W. Main St. in the village of Falconer on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Photo courtesy of Andy Palermo, Jamestown, NY)

As a result of the investigation, Young has been charged with two counts of 2nd degree Arson, 9 counts of 3rd degree Arson, and 1 count of 5th degree arson. In addition to those charges, Young has also been charged in Pennsylvania in connection to the fire in Butler County last weekend, and is suspected of being involved in a string of burglaries that took place in Warren Co., Pennsylvania area.

Last week, police released a video that purportedly showed the suspect walking away from one of the arson scenes, shortly before the home caught fire. City police say they’ve also reviewed other evidence that shows the alleged suspect at or near the scene of other fires.

Young is currently being held in Pennsylvania on $75,000 bail. If he makes bail there, he would be extradited to Chautauqua County to be arraigned and formally charged.

Snellings also said that the police are continuing to investigate other arsons in the area, including one that took place on Tuesday morning on Charles St.

Anyone with information on Tuesday morning’s arson, or any of the other arsons from earlier this year, is asked to call JPD’s Anonymous Tip Line at 483-TIPS (8477), or they can leave a tip on the Tips 411 App.