AKRON — A 33-year-old Ohio woman was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison for setting fire to an apartment building that killed a resident’s cat in Akron.
In November 2024, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a fire on South Turkeyfoot Road, according to our CBS news affiliate, WOIO.
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When the first deputy arrived on the scene, he found the first floor of an apartment building in flames, immediately searching the remaining units to make sure everyone had evacuated.
The Coventry Township Fire Department arrived shortly after and extinguished the blaze.
No injuries were reported; a resident’s cat named Lily died in the fire.
The resident who called 911 reported that he had been in a verbal altercation with an acquaintance, identified as Courtney Cooney, earlier in the day.
He told deputies that she returned to the apartment building after their argument, yelling that she had set fire to one of the downstairs apartments and warned him to evacuate.
Cooney took off from the building before law enforcement could arrive. Deputies located burned clothing at the scene that they believed to be Cooney’s.
Deputies later found Cooney and arrested her in the driveway of a residence off of Flynn Avenue.
Cooney admitted to officers that she had an argument with the 911 caller and then left his apartment.
She said she had kicked out an air-conditioning unit to gain access to one of the ground level apartments.
Once inside, she told officers that she poured gasoline on a couch and set it on fire.
Officers said Cooney also attempted to set a piece of clothing on fire and place it in the 911 caller’s vehicle gas tank.
She pleaded guilty to the following charges in December:
- One count of Aggravated Arson – a Felony of the 1st Degree;
- One count of Aggravated Arson – a Felony of the 2nd Degree;
- One count of Burglary – a Felony of the 2nd Degree;
- One count of Cruelty to Companion Animals – a Felony of the 5th Degree; and
- One count of Criminal Damaging or Endangering – a Misdemeanor of the 2nd Degree.
“Courtney Cooney’s selfish rage and spite led her to displace innocent residents of an apartment building and cause the death of a beloved pet,” said Prosecutor Kolkovich.
Cooney will also be placed on the Ohio Arson Registry and will be required to register with her local county sheriff’s office once a year for the rest of her life, when she is released from prison.
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