Man pleads guilty to attempted aggravated arson in Dover fire

William A. Lewis, a former Dover resident, has pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted aggravated arson in connection with a March 29, 2020, fire at Grove Home Medical.
William A. Lewis, a former Dover resident, has pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted aggravated arson in connection with a March 29, 2020, fire at Grove Home Medical.

NEW PHILADELPHIA ‒ A 53-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of attempted aggravated arson in connection with the March 29, 2020, fire at Grove Home Medical in Dover.

William A. Lewis, formerly of Dover, entered the pleas as part of a plea agreement the Tuscarawas County Prosecutor's Office.

Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Elizabeth Lehigh Thomakos scheduled sentencing for Dec. 6.

More:Dover man charged with aggravated arson in Grove Medical fire

She said possible punishments include a sentence of nine months to three years and a $10,000 fine. Lewis will be required to pay court costs and be listed for the rest of his life on the Ohio arson registry.

Assistant Tuscarawas County Prosecutor Fred Scott said he will ask the judge to order Lewis to pay $2,875 in restitution. He is recommending probation with a suspended three-year prison term.

The state reduced the original indictment from two charges of aggravated arson to two charges of attempted aggravated arson.

Dover police investigated the fire in the building at 849 Boulevard, which holds a business and a residence. The fire destroyed a hose and damaged metal siding on the south side of the building.

A passerby and the tenant of an apartment above the business extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived.

Proceedings in common pleas court were delayed while competency and sanity evaluations were done. Lewis was restored to competency at Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon.

He was represented by attorney Travis Collins of Cadiz.

Reach Nancy at 330-364-8402 or nancy.molnar@timesreporter.com.

On Twitter: @nmolnarTR

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Man, 53, pleads guilty to attempted aggravated arson in Dover fire