Greensburg man convicted of Indiana County fire bombing
A Greensburg man accused of trying to burn down an Indiana County home last May by throwing “Molotov cocktails” at it was convicted this week in a non-jury trial, according to court records.
Derrick John Weber, 21, was found guilty by Indiana County Judge William J. Martin of attempted arson of an occupied residence, recklessly endangering another person and criminal mischief.
Weber was accused of trying to burn down a house along Route 271 in Burrell Township on May 30, 2020. Prosecutors said Weber threw at the house glass bottles full of gasoline, with torn pieces of a T-shirt in the bottle, Indiana County District Attorney Bob Manzi said Friday.
The victim was sleeping when Weber tried to destroy the house.
The homeowner told authorities he had heard a loud crack around 12:40 a.m. and saw a “fireball” burning in his front yard.
In the daylight, the victim told police the vinyl siding on his house was damaged and he found a broken bottle in his yard, as well as an unbroken bottle with a red rag wrapped around the bottle. State police at Indiana found evidence of burn marks on the victim’s house and lawn.
Weber was in a dispute with the unidentified victim over an accusation that the man had killed a dog, Manzi said.
Martin is scheduled to sentence Weber on June 30.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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