Ohio, fire department worker and police officer was sentenced to prison Monday for starting dozens of fires in Wayne National Forest, prosecutors said. James A. Bartels, 52, of Rio Grande ...

James A. Bartels, 52, of Rio Grande, Ohio, said he started 26 fires in Wayne National Forest in 2022 to “give the boys something to do” and to distract himself from depression. According to ...

GALLIPOLIS, Ohio — A man who served as a former ... to pay $638,000 in restitution for setting 26 fires in Wayne National Forest in 2022. James A. Bartles, 52, was sentenced in federal court ...

A former southeastern Ohio fire department administrator will serve 18 months in federal prison after admitting to starting dozens of wildfires in Wayne National Forest. U.S. District Court Judge ...

In Ohio's Wayne National Forest, court records said more than 40 suspected arson fires were lit in 2022, and Bartels admitted to causing 26 of them. While working for the Greenfield Fire ...

A former southeastern Ohio fire department administrator will serve 18 months in federal prison after admitting to starting dozens of wildfires in Wayne National Forest. U.S. District Court Judge ...

GALLIA COUNTY, Ohio — A former fire department administrator and police officer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for starting dozens of arson fires in Wayne National Forest three years ago.

Bartels was also ordered to pay $638,000 in restitution and register through the Ohio Arson Registry. Wayne National Forest is in the Appalachian foothills of southeastern Ohio. Jennifer Rodriguez ...