Nearly 18 months after she was first implicated, a former Mason volunteer firefighter, and daughter of Mason County’s emergency services director has been indicted for her alleged role in a series of Bend-area arsons.
Today, the Mason County Prosecutor’s Office released the names of those indicted by the grand jury for its May term. Among the 33 people indicted was Kimberly Sue Blake on two counts of first degree arson and one count conspiracy.
Blake, 25, a resident of Mason, was first accused of the crimes last year. According to court records, on Jan. 11, 2008, Blake, along with Jamar Juel Cuthbertson and Brent Donavan Kapp were charged by the state Fire Marshal’s Office of deliberately setting fires to several abandoned or unoccupied structures in late 2007.
In the criminal complaint he first filed in Mason Magistrate Court, Assistant Fire Marshal Jason Baltic alleged Cuthbertson, while a member of the New Haven Volunteer Fire Department, of setting fire to an outbuilding at 16698 Ohio River Rd. in West Columbia on Sept. 29, 2007. The Fire Marshal’s investigation also linked Kapp, who at the time was a member of the Mason Volunteer Fire Department, to the fire.
About two weeks later on October 15, Kapp was implicated in another arson. This time, records show he torched an abandoned trailer at 286 Front St. in Mason.
Assisting Kapp in setting the fire was Blake. According to court records, Blake and Kapp were seen pulling into the fire station in a Green Pontiac about 10-15 minutes before the blaze was reported to Mason 911.
At the time of the fire, Blake was a dispatcher for 911 where her father, Chuck, serves as director. Ironically, Blake’s brother, Chuck II, in addition to also being a 911 dispatcher, and chief of the Mason department, was convicted a decade ago for his role in setting fire to the Hogg and Zuspan lumber yard around the corner where she and Kapp set fire to the abandoned trailer.
Though Cuthbertson and Kapp were later indicted during the May 2008 term of the grand jury, the charges against Blake were dismissed on March 3. Mason County Prosecutor Damon Morgan made the motion following Baltic’s failure to appear at Blake’s preliminary hearing.
For reasons still unclear, despite one being issued, a subpoena was never served on Baltic to appear at Blake’s hearing.
Since then, Cuthbertson, 20, and Kapp, 21, have entered guilty pleas in there respective cases. In March, Kapp plead guilty to one count first degree arson and one count second degree arson.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1.
After pleading to one count of second degree arson, Cuthbertson on December 2 was sentenced by Judge David W. Nibert to an indeterminate sentence of six months to two years at the Anthony Correctional Center in Greenbrier County.
According to the state Division of Correction’s Web site, Cuthbertson is scheduled to be released on June 29.
Subsequent to her arrest, Blake was placed on administrative leave with pay from the 911 center. When the Mason County Commission met on March 10 to reconsider reinstating Blake following the dismissal of the charges, she shocked everyone by announcing her resignation.
According to records provided by the commission, Blake’s salary was $23,952.
Following her resignation, commission President Rick Handley told The Point Pleasant Register that the commission would be conducting “a search of its records to see if Blake is due any back pay.” Though it is not immediately clear what if anything the commission has done in that regard, sources tell The Free Press that discrepancies in the 911 payroll prior to Blake’s arrest have resulted in multiple investigations of the Office of Emergency Services by several state agencies.
Also, sources say that Chuck Blake offered to tender his resignation if Kim was ever indicted. Blake was not immediately available for comment concerning either Kim's indictment or a possible resignation.
Today, the Mason County Prosecutor’s Office released the names of those indicted by the grand jury for its May term. Among the 33 people indicted was Kimberly Sue Blake on two counts of first degree arson and one count conspiracy.
Blake, 25, a resident of Mason, was first accused of the crimes last year. According to court records, on Jan. 11, 2008, Blake, along with Jamar Juel Cuthbertson and Brent Donavan Kapp were charged by the state Fire Marshal’s Office of deliberately setting fires to several abandoned or unoccupied structures in late 2007.
In the criminal complaint he first filed in Mason Magistrate Court, Assistant Fire Marshal Jason Baltic alleged Cuthbertson, while a member of the New Haven Volunteer Fire Department, of setting fire to an outbuilding at 16698 Ohio River Rd. in West Columbia on Sept. 29, 2007. The Fire Marshal’s investigation also linked Kapp, who at the time was a member of the Mason Volunteer Fire Department, to the fire.
About two weeks later on October 15, Kapp was implicated in another arson. This time, records show he torched an abandoned trailer at 286 Front St. in Mason.
Assisting Kapp in setting the fire was Blake. According to court records, Blake and Kapp were seen pulling into the fire station in a Green Pontiac about 10-15 minutes before the blaze was reported to Mason 911.
At the time of the fire, Blake was a dispatcher for 911 where her father, Chuck, serves as director. Ironically, Blake’s brother, Chuck II, in addition to also being a 911 dispatcher, and chief of the Mason department, was convicted a decade ago for his role in setting fire to the Hogg and Zuspan lumber yard around the corner where she and Kapp set fire to the abandoned trailer.
Though Cuthbertson and Kapp were later indicted during the May 2008 term of the grand jury, the charges against Blake were dismissed on March 3. Mason County Prosecutor Damon Morgan made the motion following Baltic’s failure to appear at Blake’s preliminary hearing.
For reasons still unclear, despite one being issued, a subpoena was never served on Baltic to appear at Blake’s hearing.
Since then, Cuthbertson, 20, and Kapp, 21, have entered guilty pleas in there respective cases. In March, Kapp plead guilty to one count first degree arson and one count second degree arson.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1.
After pleading to one count of second degree arson, Cuthbertson on December 2 was sentenced by Judge David W. Nibert to an indeterminate sentence of six months to two years at the Anthony Correctional Center in Greenbrier County.
According to the state Division of Correction’s Web site, Cuthbertson is scheduled to be released on June 29.
Subsequent to her arrest, Blake was placed on administrative leave with pay from the 911 center. When the Mason County Commission met on March 10 to reconsider reinstating Blake following the dismissal of the charges, she shocked everyone by announcing her resignation.
According to records provided by the commission, Blake’s salary was $23,952.
Following her resignation, commission President Rick Handley told The Point Pleasant Register that the commission would be conducting “a search of its records to see if Blake is due any back pay.” Though it is not immediately clear what if anything the commission has done in that regard, sources tell The Free Press that discrepancies in the 911 payroll prior to Blake’s arrest have resulted in multiple investigations of the Office of Emergency Services by several state agencies.
Also, sources say that Chuck Blake offered to tender his resignation if Kim was ever indicted. Blake was not immediately available for comment concerning either Kim's indictment or a possible resignation.
In West Virginia, a charge of first degree arson carries a prison sentence of 2-20 years.
Blake, along with the 32 other people indicted, have their first-appearance hearing scheduled for Monday, May 11 at 9:30 a.m. in Mason Circuit Court. Below, is a complete list of indictments returned by the Mason grand jury during the May term:
1. Anthony D. Black, 21, Point Pleasant - one count each, burglary and grand larceny.
2. Kimberly Sue Blake, 25, Mason - two counts first degree arson; one count conspiracy.
3. James Thomas Boles, 29, Point Pleasant - two counts identity theft; three counts access device fraud; one count conspiracy.
4. Heather Dawn Bryant, 28, Leon - 10 counts each, forgery and uttering.
5. Glen A. Childers, 34, Point Pleasant - three counts each, forgery and uttering.
6. Anthony James Double, 31, Southside - one count sexual assault in the first degree; two counts sexual abuse in the first degree.
7. Richard Eugene Ellis, 38, Gallipolis, Ohio - one count each, robbery in the first degree and conspiracy.
8. Nicole R. Hager, 24, Gallipolis, Ohio - one count each, burglary and petit larceny.
9. Jonathan Wayne Hanshaw, 31, Milton - one count each, possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiracy.
10. Jessica Ann Henderson, 26, Milton - one count each, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiracy.
11. Christopher M. Henson, 20, Point Pleasant - one count each, kidnapping, robbery in the second degree and conspiracy.
12. Josh T. Hunter, 25, New Haven - two counts of cruelty to animals.
13. Travis Johnson, Point Pleasant - one count each, kidnapping, robbery in the second degree and conspiracy.
14. Jacque L. Lee, 54, New Haven - one count of delivery of a controlled substance.
15. Evelyn Sue Litchfield, 32, Henderson - one count each, robbery in the first degree and conspiracy.
16. Zachary John MacKnight, 28, Letart - one count each, grand larceny and conspiracy.
17. Arthur Vanburen Meadows, 29, Point Pleasant - one count each, burglary, domestic battery and destruction of property.
18. Theodore Ray Melrose, 69, Point Pleasant - one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
19. Danis Mensah, 25, Bronx, N.Y. - one count each, fraudulent scheme, identity theft and receiving stolen property in another state.
20. Gregory A. Messer, 47, Southside - one count each, wanton endangerment, domestic assault, prohibited person with a firearm; two counts domestic battery.
21. Dustin Ray Millhone, 28, Columbus, Ohio - five counts each of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
22. Chad Allen Norton, 25, Mason - one count each, breaking and entering and petit larceny.
23. Christopher Ryan Perdue, 29, Welston, Ohio - one count each, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, conspiracy and carrying a concealed weapon.
24. Marco Joe Pickenpaugh, 26, Mason - two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
25. Jeffrey Lee Rainey, 24, Point Pleasant - one count each, forgery and uttering.
26. Kristin June Roberts, 29, Point Pleasant - two counts identity theft; three counts access device fraud; one count conspiracy.
27. Shannon Lewis Rose, 28, Milton - one count each, breaking and entering and grand larceny.
28. Russell Dean Sargent, 30, Pomeroy, Ohio - one count of second offence petit larceny.
29. Joshua D. Stark, 25, Apple Grove - one count each, grand larceny, destruction of property and conspiracy.
30. Jonathan Mclure Stone, 32, Mason - one count each, grand larceny and conspiracy.
31. Charles Clay Sullivan, 41, West Columbia - two counts of possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver and one count of possession of controlled substance with intent to manufacture.
32. Chad VanMeter, 23, Mason - three counts burglary; two counts petit larceny; one count each, attempted burglary and grand larceny.
33. Joshua Calvin Wears, 26, Pliny - two counts of failure to provide notice of sex offender registry changes.
Blake, along with the 32 other people indicted, have their first-appearance hearing scheduled for Monday, May 11 at 9:30 a.m. in Mason Circuit Court. Below, is a complete list of indictments returned by the Mason grand jury during the May term:
1. Anthony D. Black, 21, Point Pleasant - one count each, burglary and grand larceny.
2. Kimberly Sue Blake, 25, Mason - two counts first degree arson; one count conspiracy.
3. James Thomas Boles, 29, Point Pleasant - two counts identity theft; three counts access device fraud; one count conspiracy.
4. Heather Dawn Bryant, 28, Leon - 10 counts each, forgery and uttering.
5. Glen A. Childers, 34, Point Pleasant - three counts each, forgery and uttering.
6. Anthony James Double, 31, Southside - one count sexual assault in the first degree; two counts sexual abuse in the first degree.
7. Richard Eugene Ellis, 38, Gallipolis, Ohio - one count each, robbery in the first degree and conspiracy.
8. Nicole R. Hager, 24, Gallipolis, Ohio - one count each, burglary and petit larceny.
9. Jonathan Wayne Hanshaw, 31, Milton - one count each, possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiracy.
10. Jessica Ann Henderson, 26, Milton - one count each, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and conspiracy.
11. Christopher M. Henson, 20, Point Pleasant - one count each, kidnapping, robbery in the second degree and conspiracy.
12. Josh T. Hunter, 25, New Haven - two counts of cruelty to animals.
13. Travis Johnson, Point Pleasant - one count each, kidnapping, robbery in the second degree and conspiracy.
14. Jacque L. Lee, 54, New Haven - one count of delivery of a controlled substance.
15. Evelyn Sue Litchfield, 32, Henderson - one count each, robbery in the first degree and conspiracy.
16. Zachary John MacKnight, 28, Letart - one count each, grand larceny and conspiracy.
17. Arthur Vanburen Meadows, 29, Point Pleasant - one count each, burglary, domestic battery and destruction of property.
18. Theodore Ray Melrose, 69, Point Pleasant - one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
19. Danis Mensah, 25, Bronx, N.Y. - one count each, fraudulent scheme, identity theft and receiving stolen property in another state.
20. Gregory A. Messer, 47, Southside - one count each, wanton endangerment, domestic assault, prohibited person with a firearm; two counts domestic battery.
21. Dustin Ray Millhone, 28, Columbus, Ohio - five counts each of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.
22. Chad Allen Norton, 25, Mason - one count each, breaking and entering and petit larceny.
23. Christopher Ryan Perdue, 29, Welston, Ohio - one count each, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, conspiracy and carrying a concealed weapon.
24. Marco Joe Pickenpaugh, 26, Mason - two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.
25. Jeffrey Lee Rainey, 24, Point Pleasant - one count each, forgery and uttering.
26. Kristin June Roberts, 29, Point Pleasant - two counts identity theft; three counts access device fraud; one count conspiracy.
27. Shannon Lewis Rose, 28, Milton - one count each, breaking and entering and grand larceny.
28. Russell Dean Sargent, 30, Pomeroy, Ohio - one count of second offence petit larceny.
29. Joshua D. Stark, 25, Apple Grove - one count each, grand larceny, destruction of property and conspiracy.
30. Jonathan Mclure Stone, 32, Mason - one count each, grand larceny and conspiracy.
31. Charles Clay Sullivan, 41, West Columbia - two counts of possession of controlled substance with intent to deliver and one count of possession of controlled substance with intent to manufacture.
32. Chad VanMeter, 23, Mason - three counts burglary; two counts petit larceny; one count each, attempted burglary and grand larceny.
33. Joshua Calvin Wears, 26, Pliny - two counts of failure to provide notice of sex offender registry changes.
Photo: In a criminal complaint filed last year, the state Fire Marshal's Office alleges this abandoned trailer on Front Street in Mason was delibertately torched by then-Mason volunteer firefighters Brent Donavan Kapp and Kimberly Sue Blake in October 2007. Though both were charged with arson last year, Blake, a former 911 dispatcher, and daughter of Mason County Office of Emergency Service's Director Chuck Blake, was only indicted for her role in the blaze this week by the Mason grand jury. Kapp, who was indicted during last May's grand jury term, has since entered a guilty plea, and is awaiting sentencing.
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