Landlord in Ada trailer fire that killed 5 goes to jail

KENTON — Rebecca Schultze knows there’s nothing that can bring back her daughter, son-in-law and her three young grandchildren.

She feels cheated but she wants the ordeal her family has endured during the last year to end so they can get on with life following the April 4, 2008, fatal trailer fire in Ada that killed her daughter, Shirley Farkasdi, 35, her son-in-law, Thomas J. Farkasdi, 39, and her three grandchildren, Jessica, 7, Tiffany, 6, and Jozsef, 4 months.

“There’s no fixing what happened,” she said.

Schultze’s remarks came after Charles Sizemore, the landlord of the trailer the family rented, was sentenced on five counts of reckless homicide for his negligence in failing to take care of an electrical problem that investigators said started the fire at 536 E. Lear Ave. All inside died of smoke inhalation and there were no working smoke detectors.

Sizemore was given a 90-day jail sentence and five years probation. Judge William Hart of Hardin County Common Pleas Court hung a 15-year prison sentence over Sizemore’s head if he screws up and warned Sizemore that he controls his own destiny.

“You’re going to be watched very closely,” the judge said. “If you violate the rules in any way, I can assure you there will be a very short stop here before you go to prison.”

Sizemore has a history of alcohol abuse, Hart said while ordering Sizemore to stay away from the bottle or face prison. Hart also fined Sizemore $2,500 and ordered he perform 500 hours community service with the recommendation he help others fix up houses. He may never own a rental property again, the judge said.

Sizemore and his legal team tried to paint Sizemore as a caring landlord who gave the Farkasdi family a trailer for $100 a month rent while they struggled to survive but Hardin County Prosecutor Brad Bailey said Sizemore didn’t do anything to fix the problems, including a known electrical hazard that led to the fire.

“Usually Charlie’s line was you got cheap rent, you fix it,” Bailey said.

Bailey recommended Sizemore not go to prison at the request of the victim’s family whose main objective was not vengeance but wanting to know Sizemore was sorry for what he did and would never own a rental property again.

Sizemore said he was having a hard time dealing with the fact his inactions led to the death of five people.

“I’m sorry this happened. I don’t know if I can ever live it down,” he said.