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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; A homeless man has pleaded guilty to his part in an arson case in which police allege another man threatened to burn down his ex-girlfriend&#8217;s Prospect Street home a few hours before a fire was started there in January.</p><p>Billy Joe Hartranft, 52, pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of reckless burning or exploding in connection with a fire at 102 Prospect St. on Jan. 5. Prosecutors withdrew two felony counts of arson and a misdemeanor count of recklessly endangering another person.</p><p>In accordance with the plea deal, Hartranft and his co-defendant must pay $29,000 in restitution to State Farm Insurance, and Hartranft agrees to fully cooperate in the prosecution of his co-defendant, which his court records identify only as &#8220;Suspect 1.&#8221;</p><p>A thorough check of court records revealed that Wilkes-Barre police also charged Jonah B. O&#8217;Brien, 35, previously of 286 Stanton St., Wilkes-Barre, on Jan. 8 in connection with the arson.</p><p>O&#8217;Brien, who now resides on Columbia Avenue in Hanover Township, faces two felony counts of arson, a felony count of reckless burning and one misdemeanor count each of recklessly endangering another person and making terroristic threats. He is scheduled for trial later this month in Luzerne County Court.</p><p>The Wilkes-Barre Fire Department was dispatched to the fire just after 6 a.m. Jan. 5. Fire personnel identified two separate points of origin and requested a fire investigator come to the scene. Fire Capt. Robert Suchoski determined the fire was set.</p><p>According to court papers, city detectives conducted interviews and learned that O&#8217;Brien had been at the site of the fire sometime before midnight on Jan. 4 and, after a short visit, tried unsuccessfully to have his estranged girlfriend leave with him.</p><p>O&#8217;Brien allegedly returned to the home twice more and, after the last visit, allegedly threatened to kill his estranged girlfriend and her family. He also allegedly said he was &#8220;going to set the house on fire,&#8221; according to court papers.</p><p>At the time of the fire, the house was occupied by one man and two women, who court papers identify as Eric Commiso Jr., Melissa Lubinski and Nicole Lynn Miller.</p><p>Shortly before discovering the fire, a witness reported hearing a bang and seeing one person wearing a brownish checked or camouflage jacket and a second person wearing a black jacket running away toward Loomis Street, court papers state.</p><p>Then on Jan. 6, while executing a search warrant O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s home at 286 Stanton St., Wilkes-Barre police saw Hartranft exit 284 Stanton St. and noticed he fit the description of one of those who fled the fire scene, police say in court papers.</p><p>In a subsequent interview with police, Hartranft allegedly admitted he was with O&#8217;Brien in the early morning hours of Jan. 5, when Hartranft set the back porch of the Prospect Street home on fire and O&#8217;Brien allegedly set the front porch on fire. Hartranft told police he saw O&#8217;Brien use a can of spray paint and a match to ignite carpeting on the porch, court papers state.</p><p>Several hours after the fire, O&#8217;Brien allegedly returned to the scene and encountered Eric Commiso Jr., the property owner, and, during an exchange, allegedly told Commiso that &#8220;his house was next.&#8221; The exchange was seen and overheard by a witness who said &#8220;it was Nicky&#8217;s boyfriend&#8221; and provided a description that matched O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s, police said in court papers.</p><p>O&#8217;Brien was arraigned before District Judge Daniel O&#8217;Donnell on Jan. 8 and remains free on $25,000 bond following a March 15 bail hearing before District Judge Rick Cronauer.</p><p>Hartranft, who had been jailed at the Luzerne County Correctional Facility for lack of $100,000 bail, was remanded to the prison pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for Sept. 29.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Hartranft </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_Hartranft_Billy_Joe.jpg</photo0><caption0>Hartranft </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Steve Mocarsky</p><p>smocarsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Steve Mocarsky at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @TLSteveMocarsky.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Homeless man pleads guilty in Wilkes-Barre arson, 2nd suspect awaits trial