A man who will turn 22 next week awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to a reduced charge following the arson of an abandoned industrial building in Champion in October of 2022.

Lucas Wheatcroft, who according to court records is from Nashville, Ohio,  appeared before a judge in Trumbull County Common Pleas court on Thursday, pleading guilty to vandalism.

Wheatcroft, who had been indicted for arson, was among four people arrested in connection with the fire on the 4000 block of Mahoning Avenue.

Initially, the first crews on the scene found a small fire inside a door before discovering several other fires inside.

Firefighters from Champion, Bazetta, Bristol, Cortland, Southington, and Warren Township were all called out to extinguish the blaze.

A grand jury declined to indict one of the other three suspects. The remaining two were charged with trespassing.

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