Two men indicted on canton arson

A federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Ziad H. Rawahneh, age 37, of Dublin, Ohio and Christopher McNutt, age 34, of Canton, Ohio, with arson affecting interstate commerce, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

The indictment charges on or about February 8, 2012, and again on or about February 9, 2012, Rawahneh and McNutt, did maliciously damage and destroy, and attempt to damage and destroy, by means of fire, a building, the Good Times Pub and Drive Thru located at 1907 Harrisburg Road NE, Canton, Ohio, and other real and personal property, used in interstate commerce and in activities affecting interstate commerce.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants’ prior criminal record, if any, the defendants’ role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael A. Sullivan.

The case was investigated by the Canton office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Canton Fire Department.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.