Riverside man who set his mother on fire on Mother’s Day gets prison time

RIVERSIDE — A Riverside man who lit his mother on fire after dousing her in gasoline and catching the house on fire with several people inside on Mother’s Day will spend at least nine years in prison.

Jonathon Lambes, 27, of Riverside, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and aggravated arson earlier this month and was sentenced Thursday morning in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court. He had been previously indicted on charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson, felonious assault, and domestic violence.

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The fire happened on May 9 on Eisenhower Drive in Riverside.

Riverside Police Maj. Matthew Sturgeon said police were requested to the scene not on reports of a fire, but on reports of an assault at the house with the suspect still on the scene.

“We knew right away this was not a normal fire. We had information that came in that the fire was set intentionally and the person may still be on scene, and that someone in the house might have been hurt,” Sturgeon said.

Lambes’ mother, 55, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with serious burns, but her injuries were considered non-life threatening, Sturgeon said. He said she’s been through multiple surgeries since the fire.

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Disturbing video obtained by News Center 7 after the fire appears to show a man, who police said was Lambes, grabbing a gas can from behind the home. The video then shows him dousing a woman, who police said is Lambes’ mother, in gas before setting both her and the house on fire.

“27 years I’ve been doing this job. I’ve never seen someone literally douse someone in gasoline and light them on fire. Let alone mother on Mother’s Day. It’s shocking,” Sturgeon said. “Definitely something I hope I never see again.”

Police said the city’s database of home surveillance cameras it launched in recent years helped prosecute the case.

“We don’t get access to the cameras in any way. We just want to know where the cameras are when a crime like this does happen,” Sturgeon said.

A domestic issue or argument appears to have been what started the incident and police have had a “lengthy” history with domestic issues involving Lambes and his mother, Sturgeon said.

When police arrived, witnesses said Lambes was trying to drive away. However police stopped, detained, and later arrested him.

Lambes had previously been charged with felony domestic violence in municipal court back in January after police said he shoved his mother and caused bruising to her arm. He also was accused of threatening her with a golf club. A grand jury reviewed the January case and did not indict him, so the charges were dismissed in the case, online records show.

Lambes has previous convictions for domestic violence, including two misdemeanor convictions in 2013 and 2015. In the 2015 conviction, a plea agreement was reached lowering the charge from a felony to misdemeanor. He was sentenced to probation for two years in that case.

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