A 25-year-old Columbus man has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from two intentionally set fires that tore through The Westin Great Southern Columbus hotel in February, triggering sprinkler damage to more than 20 rooms and losses topping $100,000. J’Vonte Edwards entered his plea according to court records, months after investigators say surveillance footage, two backpacks and a Bible bearing his name helped build the case against him.
According to NBC4 WCMH-TV, Edwards was indicted on two counts of aggravated arson along with attempted aggravated arson, inducing panic and burglary. The indictment came down on Oct. 15, more than eight months after the fires were first reported. Columbus Division of Fire units responded to a reported fire at the hotel, located at High and East Main streets, on Feb. 4, according to court records.
Two Fires, Two Floors, One Determination
Fire crews located fires on two separate floors of the hotel after arriving on scene, and both were determined to have been intentionally set. The first fire was found in the sixth-floor ice room, while the second was located in the south emergency stairwell on Level 2, the station's report states. Sprinkler water caused damage to more than 20 rooms, with losses exceeding $100,000, per a police report cited in the same account.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a man arriving at the hotel aboard a COTA bus, carrying two backpacks. He spent about 10 minutes inside before leaving through emergency exit doors on East Noble Street, the report notes. Both backpacks were later recovered from fire damage, along with a Bible with the name J’Vonte Edwards written inside, according to court records.
Warrant, Arrest and a Long Gap In Between
Court records state that the surveillance video and the Bible bearing Edwards's name supported the arrest warrant, which was issued in February. Edwards was not actually taken into custody on the aggravated arson charge until Oct. 5, leaving a seven-month-and-15-day gap between the warrant's issuance and his arrest. Franklin County court records have not been independently reviewed by Hoodline beyond the reporting summarized here, and the full case history can be checked through the Franklin County Case Information Online system.
A report states Edwards received a $250,000 bond on Oct. 19. As of the latest reporting, Edwards has no scheduled next court appearance.
A Record That Predates the Arson Case
Edwards's arrest history includes a prior assault charge from August 2025. An earlier disorderly-conduct arrest occurred in October 2024 at the Franklin County Municipal Court building lobby.
Under Ohio law, aggravated arson includes creating a substantial risk of serious physical harm to another person, causing physical harm to an occupied structure, or creating a substantial risk of physical harm to an occupied structure through an agreement for hire or other consideration, according to an excerpt from Ohio Revised Code Section 2909.02, which states that a person who violates the section is guilty of the offense.
