According to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Sutton set two fires inside a storage room at the Dayspring of Miami Valley, 8001 Dayton-Springfield Road in Mad River Twp., on Nov. 25, 2011. The 122 residents there, including Hart, were evacuated. Hart suffered a cardiac episode during the evacuation and died later at Miami Valley Hospital.
Sutton admitted to Judge Richard O’Neill that he set the fires using a lighter, sheets and towels. He said after setting the blazes, he went upstairs and continued his janitorial work. Once alarms sounded and people began evacuating, Sutton said he called 911 two times and assisted staff as they removed patients. The judge questioned Sutton for 15 minutes and became frustrated when he could not explain his thought process and why he set the blazes.
“Your honor, it was a bad choice,” Sutton said.
“What were you choosing between?” O’Neill asked.
“I wasn’t choosing between anything, your honor,” Sutton said.
“They why did you start the fire?” O’Neill questioned.
“I have no explanation, your honor,” Sutton replied.
While Sutton did enter a guilty plea to the charge, Clark County Prosecutor Andy Wilson argued he hadn’t accepted responsibility for his actions. This was evident, he said, by the letters written by Sutton’s brother and father to O’Neill that proclaimed he was innocent.
“He hasn’t told them the truth,” Wilson said. “Clearly, if he had told them the truth about what happened, they wouldn’t write this stuff in a letter that he’s innocent, that he didn’t do it.”
Defense attorney Anthony Sullivan said Sutton should not be held accountable for his family’s statements and that he believed his client to be remorseful for his actions.
Not certain of Sutton’s motivation, O’Neill ordered a psychological evaluation and revoked Sutton’s bond, ordering him to be held in the Clark County Jail. He continued the sentencing hearing until he received the exam results.
Sutton has never undergone a psych evaluation in connection with the case. It takes about six weeks for results to be returned in most cases, Wilson said.
About the Author