Tue Feb 09 2010
By TODD HELBERG
A woman accused of setting fire to a rental property in Defiance with her four children present has been indicted on five felony charges.
Jacqueline Krontz, 39, whose last known address was 1019 Washington Ave., was indicted on five counts of aggravated arson, including four first-degree felonies and one second-degree felony, according to county Prosecutor Morris Murray.
The charges allege that in the early hours of April 24, 2006, Krontz caused a fire at 1734 S. Clinton St. where she and her four children -- ages 9, 11, 16 and 17 at the time -- were living in a rental home.
Murray said fire investigators allegedly found five points of origin for the fire, with an accelerant being used.
The fire, Murray explained, was mostly confined to the home's living room and was extinguished by Defiance firefighters. Damage to the home and its contents was estimated at $90,000-$100,000, he said.
No serious injuries resulted, but Krontz was briefly hospitalized at Defiance Regional Medical Center for smoke inhalation, which she reportedly suffered while evacuating her children from the home.
Each first-degree aggravated arson charge alleges that Krontz created a "a substantial risk of serious physical harm" to each person in the home. The second-degree felony, Murray explained, alleges that she created a risk of harm to an occupied structure.
Each first-degree felony charge carries a maximum 10-year prison term while the maximum prison term for the second-degree felony is eight years.
Murray said the indictment has come three years after the fire because multiple investigating agencies were involved and personnel changes occurred within them.
City police and firefighters were the lead investigators, but private investigators from three insurance companies were also involved, he said.
According to Murray, Krontz is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. June 30 in Defiance County Common Pleas Court.
But as of this morning, Krontz was still at-large.
"We're not sure where she is," said Murray. "We think she is around here somewhere."
Also indicted by the same grand jury were:
-- Christopher Hitchcock, 34, 1299 Schultz St., theft and seven counts of forgery, each a fifth-degree felony; burglary, a second-degree felony; and grand theft, a fourth-degree felony. The fifth-degree felonies allege that Hitchcock forged at least seven checks, taking more than $500 from the victim. The other charges allege that he entered a home and took property worth more than $5,000.
-- Amalia Barta-Green, 41, 733 Harrison Ave., grand theft, a fourth-degree felony, and forgery, a fifth-degree felony. The indictment alleges that Barta-Green took funds from an estate in an amount exceeding $5,000, forging an heir's signature.
-- Michael Andrews, 27, Douglasville, Ga., two counts of forgery, each a fifth-degree felony. The charges allege that Andrews forged the signature of Diana Andrews, knowing he was committing fraud.
-- Roger Shawley, 51, 08047 Stever Road, theft, a fifth-degree felony. He allegedly stole property from Johns Manville worth more than $500.
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