Indy man arrested, charged in overnight Fortville arson

FORTVILLE, Ind. — A homeless man living in Indianapolis has been arrested in Yorktown after being accused of setting fire to a house in Fortville overnight.

According to the Fortville Police Department, officers were called around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday to the 400 block of Virginia Street on report of a house fire with people possibly inside.

Upon arrival, FPD spoke with multiple fire departments who were able to successfully extinguish the house fire and determine no one was inside. However, investigators soon found evidence that the fire was not accidental but rather an arson.

FPD officers began investigating and soon identified a potential suspect, 63-year-old Jeffrey C. Stella. The department then sent out a “be on the lookout” alert to surrounding agencies.

Deputies with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office later located and took Stella into custody in Yorktown, FPD said. DCSO then held Stella until Fortville officers could come pick him up and take him to jail.

Stella was then booked into the Hancock County Jail on five outstanding warrants, all of which were tied to FPD cases, and two new additional charges.

In total, Stella now faces the following charges:

• Arson with a loss of at least $5,000
• Intimidation
• Failure to appear in court (4 counts)
• Invasion of privacy (2 counts)

Online court records have not been updated to reflect an initial hearing in Stella’s case. No other information was immediately by Fortville police.

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