Jul. 8 -- CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Bedford Heights man is charged in an arson that destroyed three newly-constructed Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority townhouses and damaged four others, court records say.
Juan C. Taylor, 36, is charged with aggravated arson in the July 1 fire on Bohn Road near Kennard Road, in Cleveland's Central neighborhood, according to court records.
He is not in custody, but a warrant was issued Wednesday for his arrest. Investigators identified Taylor as a suspect in the arson through interviews, CMHA police Deputy Chief Angel Morales said Monday.
Morales declined to offer a motive for the fire. No injuries were reported in the fire, which happened just before 3 a.m. July 1.
The fire destroyed the ceiling in one of the townhouses and caused significant fire damage in two others, Morales said.
All three properties are now uninhabitable. Four other townhouses sustained smoke and water damage, court records say.
Cleveland firefighters were already at the scene of another fire on East 55th Street when they learned of the Bohn Avenue fire, Cleveland Fire Department Lt. Michael Norman said.
Cleveland fire investigators and CMHA police worked together to investigate the arson, Norman and Morales said.
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