KENTON, Ohio, July 14 (UPI) -- An Ohio landlord whose five tenants died in a trailer fire must spend 90 days in jail because he knew its wiring was faulty, a judge says.
Hardin County, Ohio, Common Pleas Judge William Hart ruled Monday that landlord Charles Sizemore, 58, must serve the sentence despite his protestations that he only allowed the family to live in the dilapidated trailer last year because they insisted they needed a place to stay, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Tom Farkasdi, 39; his wife, Shirley, 35; and their children Jessica, 7, Tiffany, 6, and Jozsef, 4 months, all died April 4, 2008, when an electrical fire consumed a trailer owned by Sizemore in Ada, Ohio.
In addition to the jail time, Hart ordered Sizemore to perform community service, spending 500 hours fixing up low-income housing. The former landlord was also barred from owning any more rental properties, the Dispatch said.