5 big cases in Butler County courtrooms this week

Defendants in three homicide cases, an arson case and child pornography charges are all scheduled to be in Butler County courtrooms this week.

Trevor Fraley

Fraley, 24, of Dickey Road in Madison Twp., is facing 101 felony charges involving child pornography and is scheduled to be in Butler County Common Pleas Court today for a pre-trial hearing.

MORE: Defense to review ‘voluminous’ evidence; Butler county man faces 101 child porn counts

He is free on $500,000 bond with an ankle monitor. He was indicted Nov. 22 by a Butler County grand jury on multiple counts each of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a child and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance.

A trial date may be set by Judge Michael Oster Jr.

Cameron Kyles and Camron Pawlowski

Kyles, 18, is charged with aggravated murder and other felonies for the shooting death of a Middletown man and will be in common pleas court Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing. After a forensic psychological evaluation, Kyles was declared competent to stand trial.

Kyles is facing aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault and having weapons under disability charges for the Oct. 12 fatal shooting of Michael Stewart II, 35, in Middletown. A trial date may be set on Tuesday by Judge Charles Pater.

MORE: Teen ruled competent to stand trial in Middetown fatal shooting

Pawlowski, 17, another defendant in the case, will be in the same courtroom Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing.

He is being tried as an adult and is charged with murder, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault, and having weapons under disability. The charges also carry a specification of participating in a criminal gang at the time of the alleged offenses.

A third teen, age 15, pleaded “true” in juvenile court last month to the charge of murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced by a juvenile court judge in March.

According to to Middletown police, Pawlowski and Kyles had been in juvenile detention together and were planning the robbery. Pawlowski drove to Stewart’s residence and parked in the alley, and the 15-year-old went inside to make sure Stewart’s friends were not with him, police said.

MORE: Teen pleads guilty to murder in Middletown shooting case 

Then Kyles was given a gun by Pawlowski and went into the house, and four shots were fired, investigators said. Surveillance video in the house captured the shooter wearing distinctive clothing and walking toward Stewart with a gun, then taking items from Stewart’s body and the house, according to police.

Joshua Lamb

Lamb, indicted by a Butler County grand jury last week for arson and aggravated arson for allegedly setting a fire in an abandoned Middletown warehouse on New Year’s Day, is scheduled to be Butler County Common Pleas Court on Tuesday for arraignment.

MORE: Middletown man indicted for arson in huge New Year’s Day warehouse fire

He was charged hours after the huge fire at the former Middletown Paperboard building. He remains behind bars in lieu of $20,000 bond.

Jordan James Lay and Nicholas Mattox

The two men charged with aggravated murder for allegedly killing Amy Risner, 32, at a Monroe house Tuesday are scheduled to be in Butler County Area II Court Wednesday for a preliminary hearing.

Lay, 22, of Mason, and Mattox, 23, of Trenton, were arraigned Wednesday and a $1 million bond was set for each.

According to court records, police say Lay confessed to killing Risner.

Police were called shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday on a report of an unresponsive person to the Anne Road house. Risner was found dead.

MORE: Family remembers woman killed in Monroe as kind-hearted mother of three 

The case may be presented directly to a grand jury, which could negate the preliminary hearing.

Mezahan Demarco Amison

Amison, 21, charged in the shooting death of a teen last year, will be in Butler County Common Pleas Court on Thursday for a preliminary hearing.

He is facing charges of murder and felonious assault for allegedly killing Zachariah Wallace, 17, on Dec. 6.

Amison remains housed in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bond set by Judge Jennifer McElfresh.

A document filed by prosecutors lists evidence in the case and says 19 witnesses, mostly police officers, may be called at trial. Three interviews with people, including one with Amison, Facebook photos and Sprint cell phone records are among the evidence listed.

Middletown police arrested Amison within hours of the shooting that happened just before 6:30 p.m. and charged him with murder and tampering with evidence in Wallace’s death.

MORE: Middletown Polie: Casper Ave. shooting part of an “ongoning conflict”

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