Batavia man pleads guilty to throwing incendiary device, causing fire in grocery store
A Batavia man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Wednesday to damaging a Spring Grove Village grocery store with an incendiary device in the style of a Molotov cocktail.
Donald Donatelli, 28, currently of Batavia, admitted to causing malicious damage and destruction of a building in interstate commerce. The plea agreement includes a recommended sentence of 66 months in prison.
According to court documents, at approximately 10 p.m. on Nov. 26, 2023, Donatelli threw the incendiary device into the store while the store’s owner and his wife were inside. The store was open at the time of the fire.
Donatelli had traveled to the grocery store on Gwinnet Drive with a co-defendant. Donatelli approached the front glass doors of the grocery store and had a bottle of gasoline with a rag inside. He lit the rag and threw the bottle inside the front doors while the co-defendant allegedly filmed a video of the crime for social media.
A federal grand jury indicted Donatelli and the co-defendant in April 2024. Charges remain pending against Angela Schweitzer, 35.
Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the guilty plea entered before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland. U.S. Attorney Parker and Special Agent in Charge McCormick acknowledged the assistance of the Cincinnati Fire Department, Cincinnati Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and Union Township Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Megan Gaffney Painter is representing the United States in this case.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.