An Akron woman has been charged with three counts of aggravated arson for allegedly setting a house on fire last April.

Stark County Sheriff's deputies arrested Rose Ann Butts, 41, of Akron, for her role in a house fire that spread to two homes nearby on McKinley Avenue in North Canton on April 12, 2012.

The investigation was conducted by the North Canton Fire Prevention Bureau, North Canton Police Department, the State Fire Marshall’s office and the Stark County Prosecutor’s Office. Samples of debris were collected and sent to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for analysis. The fire was determined to be arson.

The findings of the investigation were presented to a Stark County Grand Jury.

Butts was arrested and taken to the Stark County Jail. an arraignment has been scheduled for March 1 at 8:30 a.m.

A Stow man will be spending the next 28 years in prison for burning down his house in 2009 and a duplex in 2010.

Summit County Prosecutors said 50-year old Scott Purk burned down his home in March of 2009 in order to collect insurance money. He then set fire to a duplex in Stow in March 2010 where a resident was inside sleeping.

She was however, able to escape unharmed.

The Stow Police Department spent two years investigating these crimes with assistance from the Stow and Cuyahoga Falls Fire Departments.

On December 13, Purk pleaded guilty near the end of his trial to all of the charges in his indictment, including multiple counts of aggravated arson, attempted aggravated murder, insurance fraud, and other charges.

State fire investigators say that two recent fires at a Windham apartment complex were deliberately set, and they're hoping to find out who's responsible.

The fires were set last month on two different occasions at two unoccupied Windham apartments believed to be in the same complex off Maple Grove and East Center Street....the first fire was set on January 18th, and the second just over one week later on January 26th.

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Fire officials say that other fires in the same area have been investigated going back to 2010 and 2011.

They won't comment on how the fires were set, but investigators say given the proximity of the two fires last month, they can't rule out the possibility that those are connected.

A Blue Ribbon Arson Reward of up to $5,000 is being offered to anyone with information that leads to ID of those responsible.

A Canton man is dead after a house fire Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators say Daniel F. Anthony, 55, died in the fire that they suspect him of starting.

The Canton Repository reports Anthony was charged with arson for a house fire two years ago. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Neighbors of Anthony told the Repository that he was troubled and believed others were trying to kill him.

A concerned store owner across the street called police after Anthony said someone was trying to poison him.

The fire started after authorities arrived at his home.

Firefighters believe the fire is arson, but they are still investigating the incident. 

On the Web: www.cantonrep.com 

From a Facebook fan group, to the voices of those who remember a mall's tall Christmas icon, an outcry for the return of a popular snowman is heard.

A Facebook group formed just two days ago, Bring Archie Back to Chapel Hill Mall, has close to 2,000 members.

David Giffels, a former reporter with the Akron Beacon Journal, joined the 1590 WAKR Ray Horner Morning Show Tuesday. He wrote the original news stories on the end of Archie's run at the shopping mall in Akron.

Lindsay McCoy reports by Akron NewsNow

Giffels said after new management took over the mall in 2004, changes were made to the holiday displays.

"The new owners, I guess, just didn't sort of understand us," he said. "To them it was this sort of in a state of disrepair thing that was in the way of whatever they wanted to do in the mall."

Archie's fate is still unknown.

Giffels' out reach to find Archie a new home didn't take off, as one of the places he tried was the Akron Zoo.

"I never really knew, once they didn't get any takers, if they just dumped him or, if maybe he is sitting in a back room at Chapel Hill," he said.

Click here to read comments from Facebook fans of AkronNewsNow.com.

1590 WAKR Host Ray Horner fielded calls from those who have fond memories of Archie.

"We're sorry to see it go," one listener said.

One man mentioned it was a holiday tradition to visit Archie with his family.

"We don't know what happened to him, but we'd like to see him back," he said.

Mary Lou Fogle was the only female voice of Archie the snowman. When she retired, she started the job that she kept for 10 years.

"It sort of evolved into asking the children a few things about themselves," she said. "It was just something I really enjoyed doing."

Do you remember Archie?

Share your memories with us in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

Three Jackson Township teens have been arrested in connection with two arsons and several break-ins that took place Aug. 23 on Erie Avenue.

The Canton Repository reports that Brandon Smith, 17, Bradley Gayheart and Davis John Nonno, both 16, are each charged with two counts of arson and three counts of breaking and entering.

Gayheart and Nonno have confessed to their involvements in the fires at a vacant house and both were ordered to appear in Stark County Family Court. Smith was booked Monday in the Multi-County Juvenile Attention Center.

Security video helped apprehend the suspects.

On the Web: www.cantonrep.com

Arson is suspected in a Summit County fire.