At Thursday's preliminary hearing for the woman charged with setting the fire that destroyed her Shenandoah home, Ann Morton remembered the moments when she realized she might lose the place she had lived for five years.
"The next thing we knew, Luis came out and screamed, 'Fire, fire,' " Morton said during the preliminary hearing for Chevonne M. Martinson, 28, of Shenandoah. "I got up, got my animals, grabbed a couple things I needed."
Morton was one of two witnesses who testified at the 45-minute hearing for Martinson, who is headed for Schuylkill County Court to defend against 17 of the charges stemming from the Jan. 19 blaze that gutted 432 W. Centre St.
Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker, Shenandoah, who presided over the hearing, dismissed two charges, reckless burning or exploding and failing to control or report dangerous fire.
The 17 he ordered held for court against Martinson included four counts of arson, three of criminal mischief, nine of recklessly endangering another person and one of risking a catastrophe.
Kilker, who held the hearing at the county courthouse due to security concerns, declined to change Martinson's $25,000 straight cash bail, and the defendant returned to prison after the hearing.
Shenandoah police allege Martinson set the fire in the early morning hours of Jan. 19 after an argument with her live-in boyfriend, Luis E. Ramos.
The blaze destroyed 432 W. Centre St. and damaged homes at 430, 434, 436 and 438 W. Centre St.
Martinson, who wore a prison jumpsuit and handcuffs, spent much of the hearing conferring with her lawyer, James G. Conville, Schuylkill Haven, and did not testify or offer any other evidence.
However, the defendant admitted setting the fire, according to Vanessa Crawley, the second and final witness presented by Assistant District Attorney Rebecca A. Elo, Crawley, who also was living at 432 W. Centre St., testified that she was asleep about 3 a.m. when Martinson came to her room and told her she had broken some perfume bottles and had set fire to items owned by Laura Hatter, who was living with her and Ramos.
Crawley said she went to see the damage but never made it.
"As I went to open the door, Luis came running out, saying the house was on fire," she said. "There was fire coming through the back door from the back porch."
Crawley testified she then returned to her room, got some clothes and left the burning building.
She also said Martinson had said on Jan. 18 that she did not care about the house or anyone in it, and that she would set it on fire.
Morton said the fire came at the end of a contentious evening that had featured hours of arguing between Martinson and Ramos.
"There was arguing all night, since about 10 o'clock," she said. "They were just screaming and fighting. I don't know what they were saying."
However, Morton also said, when cross-examined by Conville, that she did not try to stop the argument.
"I do not get involved in people's arguments," she said.
Hatter was not present for most of the argument, Morton said.
The argument climaxed about 3 a.m. with "a lot of smashing and breaking" in the room and Martinson leaving it saying everything was OK, Morton testified.
Conville asked for dismissal of all charges, saying prosecutors had not proven Martinson was guilty of anything.
Elo, however, successfully argued that Martinson's own words proved what occurred.
"Her own statements indicated she lit this fire," Elo said. "Her statements indicate this was an intentional fire."
Ramos, 35, of Shenandoah, and Rashean Strange, 27, of Shenandoah, each have been charged with four counts of intimidation of witness or victim and one of terroristic threats in connection with allegedly threatening witnesses in the case.Defendant: Chevonne M. Martinson
Age: 28
Residence: Shenandoah
Charges: Four counts of arson, nine of recklessly endangering another person, three of criminal mischief and one of risking a catastrophe