Trial Looms for Woman Suspected of Setting Fire to North Canton Home

The woman accused of setting her former North Canton home on fire could stand trial for arson next month, if attorneys don't reach a plea bargain first.

Rose Ann Butts, 41, of Akron, is slated to appear in Stark County Common Pleas Court for a final pretrial hearing at 8:30 a.m. April 1, according to her online case docket.

Her trial is expected for the week of April 15 in the courtroom of Judge Taryn L. Heath.

A Stark County grand jury indicted Butts on three counts of aggravated arson, all second-degree felonies, in mid-February and officials from the Stark County Sheriff’s Office executed an arrest warrant for Butts shortly after. 

Police suspect she set fire to a home at 516 McKinley Ave. SE on April 12, 2012. That fire spread to the home next door, 520 McKinley Ave. SE and even damaged the home at 512 McKinley Ave. The fire injured no one but did displace a young family living at 520 McKinley Ave.

Investigators had found a "medium petroleum distillate" or "mineral spirits" doused on the back porch of 516 McKinley Ave. Samples of debris were collected and sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for analysis.

North Canton fire officials later ruled arson as the cause of the blaze following an investigation with the North Canton Police Department, BCI and the State Fire Marshal's Office.

Check back with North Canton Patch for more on the story.