Greene County arson suspect scheduled for trial
A Greene County man accused of setting multiple fires in Waynesburg last August, including at a church, will stand trial in November.
The attorney for Jesse Patterson asked the court to set aside three days for a trial at a hearing Monday afternoon in Greene County Court of Common Pleas.
“It’s more of a high-profile case, and we just got our forensic evaluations done,” attorney Mark Kovach said.
Judge Jeffry Grimes had ordered Patterson be evaluated by Washington-based psychologist Dr. Michael Crabtree at his last court appearance in April. Kovach said he had forwarded the results to District Attorney Brianna Vanata.
Patterson, 38, of Waynesburg, is accused of starting a fire in the preschool area of St. Ann Church shortly before midnight Aug. 30. He is also accused of setting a fire the next day at a trailer on High Street.
Services at the church were canceled for three months due to the fire. The main section of the church sustained smoke damage, while the room where the fire began had to be rebuilt.
Patterson faces charges of first- and third-degree arson, institutional vandalism, burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and risking catastrophe. He is also charged with aggravated arson in the case of the trailer fire.