Ohio, Wayne National Forest

Ex-Ohio 911 dispatcher who admitted to starting forest fires gets 18 months in prison
James Bartels was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sparking 26 fires in Wayne National Forest, prosecutors announced on Monday.
Ex-firefighter sentenced for setting 26 fires in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest
A former fire department administrator and police officer has been sentenced for starting more than 20 fires in the Wayne National Forest.
Former Ohio fire official who set dozens of arson fires gets 18 months in prison
James Bartels, a former fire department administrator, claimed he set the fires to "give the boys something to do."
Former Ohio 911 dispatcher admits starting forest fires to 'give the boys something to do'
James Bartels, a former 911 dispatcher in southeast Ohio, admitted to starting dozens of fires to "give the boys something to do."
Former first responder sentenced for starting dozens of fires in Ohio national forest
A former Gallia County, Ohio, fire department worker and police officer was sentenced to prison Monday for starting dozens of fires in Wayne National Forest, pr
Former fire official sentenced for arson in Ohio national forest
A former fire official has been sentenced to prison for intentionally setting several fires in a national forest in Perry County.  James A. Bartels, 52, of Rio
Former Ohio fire dispatcher sentenced to 18 months for arson fires in Wayne National Forest
In Ohio, a troubling case of arson perpetrated by a former fire department dispatcher and police officer has come to a legal resolution. James A. Bartels, previously
The Herald-Dispatch21h
Ex-first responder sentenced for setting 26 fires in Wayne National Forest
GALLIPOLIS, Ohio — A man who served as a former fire official, police officer and Gallia County 911 administrator has been ...
Fire dept. administrator set 26 fires to ‘give the boys something to do’ in OH, feds say
In December, investigators spoke with Bartels and he admitted to starting 26 fires in the Wayne National Forest using a ...
Former fire department admin admits to sparking 26 fires, receives 18-month sentence
James Bartels, 52, started 26 fires in the national forest in 2022, according to United States Attorney Kenneth Parker’s office.
Center for Biological Diversity10mon
Federal Plan Would Open Ohio’s Only National Forest to Fracking
ATHENS, Ohio— A new Bureau of Land Management plan to open 40,000 acres of the Wayne National Forest to fracking for oil and gas looks almost identical to one a federal judge rejected in 2020.