Man acquitted of arson in Cleveland house blast

Recent Cases

A Cleveland man has been acquitted of charges he caused an explosion at a vacant house resulting in damage to more than 70 homes in the area.

Fifty-seven-year-old William Calderwood was acquitted Friday of 55 counts of aggravated arson in Cuyahoga (ky-uh-HOH'-guh) County Common Pleas Court. He was convicted of one count of burglary.

The fiery Jan. 25 blast damaged 72 homes on Cleveland's west side. Prosecutors say Calderwood stole appliances, furniture and pipes from the vacant house and tampered with its gas line before the explosion.

Calderwood's attorney, Patrick Leneghan, says he is elated about what he calls a "fair and just" verdict.

Calderwood will be sentenced Wednesday and faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Related listings

  • Vatican details US sex abuse defense

    Vatican details US sex abuse defense

    Recent Cases 05/17/2010

    The Vatican on Monday will make its most detailed defense yet against claims that it is liable for U.S. bishops who allowed priests to molest children, saying bishops are not its employees and that a 1962 Vatican document did not require them to keep...

  • Goldman Sachs has mounting legal woes

    Goldman Sachs has mounting legal woes

    Recent Cases 05/03/2010

    Goldman Sachs' legal headaches don't start and end with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Reports surfaced late Thursday that federal prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into Goldman and its employees, over whether it may have commi...

  • Enron law firm sues Goldman Sachs

    Enron law firm sues Goldman Sachs

    Recent Cases 04/27/2010

    The law firm that won Enron investors $7.2 billion in what was one of the largest class action suits in the history of securities law filed charges against Goldman Sachs on Monday.Robbins Geller Rudman and Dowd filed the lawsuit in U.S. district cour...

Business News