CINCINNATI — The final two suspects facing charges for the fire that destroyed the 1000 Hands Playground and severely damaged the Big Mac Bridge, or Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, have pleaded guilty in court.
The cause of that fire still has not been publicly released by any official involved in the investigation. We asked the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office why, and they told us it's because the "case has not been resolved in court yet."
Both Kaitlen Hall and James Hamilton pleaded guilty in court Thursday morning to reduced charges. Both had faced obstruction of justice charges, but they agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of official business.
Watch below to see more of what happened in court Thursday morning:
Hall declined to speak during her court appearance; she was sentenced to one year of community control and 40 hours of community service.
"It could have gone very bad for you," said Judge Patrick Dinkelacker. "Hopefully you've learned your lesson for this."
Judge Dinkelacker to Hall on why he added the 40 hours of community service to the sentence: "I don't want to mess with your kids, I would never do that, but I think you need to give a little back to the community." @WCPO
— Andrew Rowan (@andrewrowan128) June 5, 2025
Hall must also remain employed during her sentence, or she could instead face 300 hours of community service.
"I don't want to mess with your kids, I would never do that, but I think you need to give a little back to the community," said Dinkelacker.
Hamilton also pleaded guilty to unrelated drug charges from a different case.
In all, he was sentenced to 90 days in prison for the drug charge, but was given credit for having already served that time; he will still face two years of community control and 40 hours of community service for the charge tied to the bridge fire.
Hamilton must also complete a substance abuse treatment program, a mental health assessment and remain employed during his sentence or face 300 community service hours.
"I'm ready to get back to, you know, trying to better myself and that's about it," said Hamilton in court.
James Hamilton sentence: - 2 years community control- 40 hours of community service He pled guilty to misdemeanor obstruction of official business.He also faced unrelated drug possession charges, 90 days in jail (credit 177 days served) and treatment programs. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/wpRlYbcpRf
— Andrew Rowan (@andrewrowan128) June 5, 2025
Dinkelacker also said Hamilton could have faced a much worse sentence.
"It's time now to step up and start acting like and thinking like an adult," Dinkelacker told him.
Last week, the two men who'd faced arson charges for the playground fire also pleaded guilty to lesser charges.
Terry Stiles pleaded guilty in court on Wednesday to one count of aggravated arson and one count of arson. He will serve nine to 13 and a half years in prison.
After entering his plea, Stiles apologized to the city of Cincinnati and the entire state of Ohio, calling his actions "stupid."
"I apologize to you guys, everybody in the state of Ohio, for doing that," Stiles said in the courtroom. "It was a very stupid decision, and I'm hoping that you guys can forgive me."
Zachary Stumpf also pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, which is a 3rd degree felony.
A judge set his sentencing for June 26.
In November 2024, a fire severely damaged the Ohio side approach to the Big Mac Bridge, causing the bridge to be closed for 100 days, and leading to more than $11 million in damage.
In December, Stumpf and Stiles were each indicted by a grand jury on three counts of aggravated arson and one count of arson after they "knowingly created a substantial risk of serious physical harm" to three different people, the indictment document said. The arson charge is tied to the damage caused to property owned by another — in this case, the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, owned by ODOT.
Hall and Hamilton were initially indicted on obstruction of justice charges. The indictment document says Hall lied to Cincinnati fire officials, while it says Hamilton lied to the Cincinnati Police Department.
