TIPP CITY — Two people, a Fairborn woman and now a Greenville man, have been arrested and are accused of being involved in a Bethel Township arson in September 2023.

According to a press release from Miami County Sheriff Dave Duchak, deputies with the Miami County Sheriff’s Office and the Bethel Township Fire Department were dispatched to 5595 Ross Road, Bethel Township, on Sept. 6, 2023, on a report of a residential fire. The house was a loss and the fire was deemed suspicious in nature. Detectives and an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s Office responded to process the scene.

Through extensive investigation, two suspects were identified. Subsequently, Stephanie L. Cahill, 38, of Fairborn, and Nicholas A. Kelch, 30, of Greenville, were charged with aggravated arson, a second-degree felony.

Cahill was taken into custody in November and was incarcerated in the Miami County Jail. She has since been released on bond awaiting trial. On Nov. 22, 2023, Cahill entered a not guilty plea in the Miami County Municipal Court. She is ordered to appear in the Miami County Municipal Court at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25, for a preliminary hearing.

An arrest warrant was issued for Kelch, as detectives believed he had fled the area to avoid arrest. Recently, Kelch was located in Clarksville, Tennessee by the U.S. Marshal’s Service, where he was arrested. Deputies transported Kelch back to Miami County where on Monday, Jan. 15, he was incarcerated in the Miami County Jail and is being held on a $500,000 bond.

Kelch entered a not guilty plea in the Miami County Municipal Court on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Although he is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 23, at 1 p.m., Kelch requested a continuance due to a scheduling conflict for his attorney.

“Special thanks to the State of Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office and the U.S. Marshal’s Service for their assistance in this investigation,” said Duchak in the release.