Man pleads guilty to setting Dayton duplex on fire twice

DAYTON — A Dayton man has pleaded guilty to lighting a duplex on fire twice in July 2023.

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Kevin Carter Jr, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of arson on Thursday, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

Carter could face between six to 18 months in prison and fines of up to $5,000.

A Montgomery County grand jury previously indicted Carter on two felony counts of aggravated arson and a misdemeanor count of aggravated menacing on July 25, 2023.

As part of Carter’s plea agreement, the other counts were dismissed.

Carter’s charges stem from two fires at an abandoned, boarded-up duplex on fire in the 200 block of Xenia Avenue on July 8, 2023, News Center 7 previously reported.

He was arrested in connection to these fires two days later.

News Center 7 previously obtained a video that showed a man, later identified as Carter, in front of the duplex, working to light the contents of a white trash bag on fire. Once he thinks it’s burning, he’s seen throwing it through a 3-foot gap between the protective plywood and the top window frame.

911 callers alerted the fire department, but they apparently spotted him only after he dragged a second trash bag over to the same window, set it on fire, and threw it in.

“It’s on fire now, so the guy that’s burning the house is in front of the house,” a 911 caller said.

The video also showed Dayton police and fire rolling up to the building a short time later. They stayed about 90 minutes, putting out the flames. 30 minutes after they left, that same man was back and so were the flames.

“That’s the guy that started the fire across the street at like 3:00 today,” another 911 caller told dispatchers.

Carter allegedly threatened to burn down a neighbor’s house after he set the duplex on fire the second time, according to an affidavit and statement of facts previously filed in Dayton Municipal Court.

During an interview with police, Carter admitted to setting the fires, according to court records.

Carter remains booked in the Montgomery County Jail.

His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 5.

We will continue to follow this story.

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