United States (Ohio) - A volunteer firefighter for a rural fire department in Fairfield County was charged today with aggravated arson in connection with a fire at the Fiesta Tropicana Restaurant in Lancaster. Robert N. Steiner, 35, volunteers with the Hocking Township Fire Department in the southern part of the county, said Lancaster Police Sgt. William C. Tolley.

Steiner is accused of starting a fire in a vent in the men's room of the restaurant at 1236 N. Memorial Drive on Jan. 5, Tolley said.

The fire was reported at 7:52 p.m. The fire was minor, resulting in a lot of smoke, but it was a serious matter because customers and employees were inside the restaurant at the time, Tolley said.

Aggravated arson is a first-degree felony punishable by a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison.

Steiner pleaded not guilty today in Fairfield County Municipal Court. He is free on $250,000 bond.

Written by The Columbus Dispatch

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