Jason Raines (right) tells Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser of issues in communication with his lawyer at a Friday morning hearing.
Jessica Orozco | The Lima News
LIMA — A Lima man charged in the June 2020 fire of a Shawnee Township home will face a jury in January after a judge denied his request to fire his lawyer.
Jason Raines, 53, is charged with second-degree felony aggravated arson with co-defendant Timothy Messer, 65. Raines said on Friday he has not had as much communication with defense attorney Kirk McVay as he would like.
Raines said he had asked McVay on multiple occasions to file motions on his behalf, but the lawyer only filed some.
Raines said McVay does not answer his phone or return his calls as quickly or as often as Raines believes a lawyer should. He said he does not believe McVay to be a bad lawyer and is quite stressed about the upcoming trial.
Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser said because communication between Raines and McVay has not “completely broken down” she will not allow new representation. Raines appeared in agreement with Kohlrieser.
On June 6, 2020, the Shawnee Fire Department was dispatched to 2975 South Dixie Highway in response to a structure fire at the residence of Jack Cornelius.
According to court documents, Investigator Matt Meyers of the Shawnee Township Fire Department determined the fire was suspicious in nature. Evidence indicated the fire started on the ground floor, away from obvious and normal sources of accidental ignition.
The investigation revealed Cornelius and Timothy Messer had an ongoing feud involving a common girlfriend — Susan Walendzik — along with an allegation of money owned to Messer.
Raines and Messer were reportedly at the home driving Messer’s red Dodge pickup truck in the days preceding the fire. Messer reportedly told Cornelius he would “go down” with Walendzik if she didn’t pay Messer the money she owed him.
Video recovered from a petroleum terminal across the street from the victim’s residence showed a red Dodge pickup truck arrive at the residence at 11:54 p.m. on June 5, 2020. The pickup was recorded leaving with its lights off at 11:58 p.m. Seven minutes later, the video recorded what appeared to be a firelight coming from the structure. Fire department personnel arrived at 12:10 a.m. on June 6.
Walendzik told investigators that Messer and Raines had been at her house in a red Dodge pickup the week prior to the fire. They yelled threats to her from the road, she told police.
A jury trial for both men is set to begin Jan. 9, 2023.
