Young Trail Set for Jan. 22 After Defense Rejects Plea Offer from DA’s Office

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.