Three people were jailed Monday on arson charges for a fire that damaged a Ridgway home in 2015.
Homeowner Cody James Miller, 21, and his parents, Renee Lynn Groeger, 45, and John P. Miller, 49, were each arraigned before District Judge James Martin and committed to Elk County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail, state police fire marshal Cpl. Greg Agosti announced.
According to Agosti, the three were charged in connection to a fire at 11:08 p.m. Nov. 16, 2015, that caused more than $100,000 in damage to a two-story home at 2130 Montmorenci Road. No one was injured in the blaze.
They face charges of arson, insurance fraud, criminal conspiracy, criminal attempt at theft by deception and criminal mischief, Agosti said.
These are not the first charges that were filed in connection to the fire.
According to court records, on March 17, 2016, charges were filed against Cody Miller and James Allen Stafford, 30, of Byrnedale, for allegations the pair gave inaccurate statements to officials during the investigation of the blaze.
Court records indicate that Cody Miller told an interviewer with Erie Insurance Co. that he was in Byrnedale with Stafford at the time of the fire; however, cell phone records show he was in the vicinity of the Montmorenci Road home within four minutes of the time of the fire.
Police interviewed Stafford twice. The first time, he allegedly backed up Cody Miller’s story, but police noted inconsistencies; the second time, police confronted him with the inaccuracies, and he revealed he had been home in bed when he received a call about the fire, court records stated.
Cody Miller and Stafford face charges including insurance fraud, perjury and false swearing, according to court records.
On March 20, 2016 — three days after Cody Miller and Stafford were charged — John Miller and Groeger were arrested on allegations they tried to sell an illegal fully automatic weapon in an effort to pay Cody Miller’s bail.
Groeger and John Miller were initially charged with seven and 12 counts, respectively, but each pleaded guilty to fewer counts earlier this year.
Court records indicate that John Miller pleaded guilty April 3 to charges of possessing a communication interception device and possessing an offensive weapon and was sentenced to 90 days to two years minus one day in jail and two years of probation; meanwhile, Groeger pleaded guilty to charges of possessing an instrument of crime and possessing an offensive weapon and was sentenced to 11 days to one year in jail and one year of probation.
The 2016 cases against Cody Miller and Stafford have not been resolved, according to court records. Jury selection for Miller is set for Oct. 9, and the next court appearance scheduled for Stafford is Nov. 6.