AKRON, Ohio – An Akron man is accused of causing the explosion that leveled his house last week in the city’s West Akron neighborhood.
Rodney Lee Hylton, 49, is charged with aggravated arson and arson in the Feb. 7 explosion that destroyed the house on Courtland Avenue near South Hawkins Avenue, according to Akron Municipal Court records.
The court issued a warrant for Hylton’s arrest, records show.
Witnesses told cleveland.com that a man stumbled out of the house after the explosion. Paramedics took the man to a local hospital, an Akron Fire Department spokesman said last week.
Fire officials said last week that they believed the explosion, which happened just after 7:30 p.m., was caused by a gas leak. Crews completely extinguished the blaze just before 10 p.m., and utilities companies were on scene to shut off gas and electricity feeds to the house.
While nearby homes and residents were evacuated as a precaution, no other houses were damaged, officials said.
A Summit County grand jury indicted Hylton on Feb. 3 on charges of breaking and entering, theft, vandalism and several lesser offenses, court records show. His first court appearance has not been scheduled.
If you’d like to comment on this story, visit Wednesday’s crime and courts comments page.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
