Lancaster man sentenced for arson, retaliation for burning down FOP lodge

LANCASTER — A Lancaster man who represented himself during his jury trial for arson and other charges has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Kenneth Dawson, 35, of Lancaster, was found guilty on counts of arson, a fourth-degree felony; retaliation, a third-degree felony; possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony; and unlawful possession of a deadly ordnance, a fifth-degree felony.

Dawson was accused of setting fire to a building on 351 S High St., a building used as the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in February 2021.

Fairfield County Assistant Prosecutor Mark Balazik told the jury in his opening statements that Dawson was upset about a prior arrest so he burned down the building because he felt mistreated by law enforcement.

In his closing, Balazik told the jury that Dawson had confessed to the crime and that, "He admitted he was angry at the cops, he planned his revenge after his OVI arrest, and even said he should have stayed at his father’s after being released, he couldn't control his emotions."

While Dawson told the jury in his closing that the jurors saw the evidence "or lack thereof," throughout the three-day trial.

"We live in a society that allows this kind of fight to take place. I'm the David fighting the Goliath. If this is what I fought for in the military overseas, I'm disappointed," Dawson said. "There were gray areas throughout the investigations, and I think unless you can tie one piece of evidence to one person, it isn't good enough."

In addition to the prison time, Dawson was ordered to pay $37,000 to the Lancaster Fraternal Order of Police for restitution.

Judge Richard Berens sentenced Dawson  to 12 months in prison for the arson charge, 36 months for the retaliation charge and 12 months for the unlawful possession of a deadly ordnance. The prison time for the arson charge was ordered to be served consecutive to the other two charges which are to be served concurrently for a total sentence of 48 months. He was given 390 days of jail time credit toward his sentence.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster man sentenced for burning down FOP lodge