Jonathan Young Trial Adjourned, Appellate Division To Hear Appeal

MAYVILLE – The trial for Jonathan Young, the man charged in an arson case, has been adjourned, a Chautauqua County Court Clerk told WNYNewsNow Friday morning. 

According to the clerk, the trial can’t move forward until an appeal made by the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office is heard by the New York State Fourth Appellate Division in Rochester. The appeal is based on a decision previously made by Judge David Foley.

According to the New York State Fourth Appellate Division, no date has been scheduled for the appeal. Jury selection was previously scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

Young, 21, is charged with 14 counts of arson and 11 counts of criminal mischief in connection with the 12 fires that Jamestown Police are accusing him of setting in the Jamestown and Falconer area. In December, Young turned down a plea deal which called for him to serve a determinate sentence of 10 years for each of the two counts of second-degree arson that Young faces, concurrently.

The Jamestown man previously plead guilty to a charge of arson in Butler County, Pa. in a plea deal that withdrew nine other charges that he faced in connection with a Slippery Rock fire back in 2017. Young was sentenced to serve 15-30 months in PA state prison, but was credited for serving 395 days in Butler County Jail while awaiting trial.

Young was also ordered to pay more than $60,000 in fees and restitution. The accused arsonist was, a few weeks after sentencing in Butler County Court, transported to Warren County Jail to await trial in a separate case.

Young plead guilty to theft by unlawfully taking a movable prop in Warren County, and was sentenced to serve 39-78 days. Young was credited with serving 78 days in Warren County Jail. He was transported to Chautauqua County Jail last August.

Young is still in Chautauqua County Jail on $1 million cash/$2 million property bond.

WNYNewsNow is currently attempting to learn more about the decision rendered by Foley, as well as the grounds in which the DA’s office is appealing. We will continue to follow the story.