CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — A Clermont County man accused of intentionally setting fire to his Batavia home in 2022 was found guilty on multiple counts Thursday, Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney Mark J. Tekulve announced.
After a week-long trial and almost two days of deliberation, Tekulve said a jury convicted Asa Dawson of seven counts, including aggravated arson, arson, tampering with evidence, insurance fraud and telecommunications fraud.
Prosecutors say the home of Dawson and his wife, Kaitlyn Dawson, was set on fire and burned down on Sept. 20, 2022.
An investigation by the Clermont County Fire Investigations Team, the State Fire Marshal's Investigative Unit, Investigators at the Clermont County Sheriff's Office and a private fire investigator determined the fire was intentional.
Police said no one was home at the time of the fire, and a neighbor's surveillance system picked up video of Asa Dawson returning home at approximately 8:20 p.m. on the day of the fire and then leaving shortly after.
The fire also caused damage to a nearby home of an elderly couple, one of whom was in a wheelchair.
Prosecutors say Asa Dawson used accelerants to set fire to his home in an effort to fraudulently collect insurance money.
Kaitlyn Dawson was convicted of attempted insurance fraud in October.
Dawson faces a maximum of 34.5-40 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. on March 31.
Tekulve said it was a "difficult and complex case" and thanked those who sat on the jury for their work.
