Accused VW arsonist hit with charges

VW independent staff

Formal charges have been served in connection with a mid-November fire at Comfort Inn on N. Washington St. in Van Wert.

Van Wert County deputies served Christopher Aaron Tinsley Jr., 26, of Van Wert, with a warrant charging him with aggravated arson, a first degree felony, escape, a felony of the second degree and assault, a fourth degree felony. The warrant, which stemmed from a grand jury indictment, was served Thursday at the Van Wert County Correctional Facility.

Witnesses say Tinsley set a decorative bale of straw on fire in the lobby of Comfort Inn at approximately 3 a.m. Sunday, November 13. The fire was put out by an employee who confronted Tinsley. He left and was located by officers and while investigating the lobby fire, officers noticed the Comfort Inn’s shed was on fire (see pictures in a related story below). The Van Wert Fire Department was dispatched to extinguish the blaze.

After fighting with police officers and Van Wert County deputies, he was taken to jail.