Friday, January 27, 2017

Tenant With Past History Of Torching Landlords' Apartments Is Allegedly At It Again, Getting Bagged For Blaze Set After Being Served With Eviction Notice; Fire Authorities Evacuate 18 Other Residents In Building

In Cleveland, Ohio, The Plain Dealer reports:
  • A convicted arsonist is accused of trying to burn down an apartment building where more than a dozen people lived after getting an eviction notice earlier in the day, police said.

    Marvin Fisher, 54, is charged with aggravated arson. His bond was set [] at $25,000. He is also being held in jail while the Ohio Adult Parole Authority determines if he violated the terms of his supervised release.

    Fisher set fire to his apartment [...] in the 8700 block of Detroit Road, according to police.

    Eighteen others who live in the building were evacuated. The fire caused about $2,000 in damage to a door and wooden deck, police reports say.

    Fire investigators ruled out accidental causes and a surveillance camera showed no one went inside Fisher's apartment in the hours leading up to the fire, police reports say.

    Fisher's girlfriend told police Fisher had been increasingly aggressive recently and had been drinking more than normal. About six hours before the fire, the landlord gave Fisher a 30-day eviction notice, according to police reports.

    Fisher threatened the landlord and told him "I'm going to punch your lights out," according to police reports. The landlord told police Fisher's behavior is "extremely bizarre and threatening."

    Fisher told police that he was home with his girlfriend when the fire broke out, but denied setting the fire, police reports say.

    Fisher has been convicted of arson two other times. He spent four years in prison after his most recent conviction in 2010.

    In that case, he set fire to his porch at a home on West 65th Street. He also pleaded guilty to being a repeat violent offender.

    In 2002, Fisher set fire to his apartment in the 5800 block of Lawn Avenue two weeks after his landlord gave him an eviction notice. Fisher removed most of his belongings from the apartment and started drinking.

    He poured nail polish remover on the carpet and lit it on fire with a butane lighter. Police found him hiding in nearby bushes holding a hammer.

    Fisher was found guilty during a trial and was sentenced to four years in prison. He lost his appeal to the Ohio Eighth District Court of Appeals.