Spring Grove Village Grocery Store Set Ablaze with Molotov Cocktail, Duo Behind Bars

A federal grand jury in Ohio has indicted a local man and woman for their alleged roles in conspiring to damage a Spring Grove Village grocery store with an incendiary device in the style of a Molotov cocktail.

Donald Donatelli, 28, and Angela Schweitzer, 35, were charged with conspiring to commit malicious damage and destruction of a building in interstate commerce. Donatelli is also charged in a second count of directly causing the damage.

According to an affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, Donatelli allegedly threw the incendiary device into the store around 10pm on November 26. The store’s owner and his wife were inside at the time.

The affidavit details that Donatelli and Schweitzer arrived at the store together in a white BMW. Schweitzer allegedly moved to the driver’s seat while Donatelli lit the device, opened the store’s door, and threw it inside. The affidavit also states that Schweitzer filmed a Snapchat video of the alleged crime and sent it to Donatelli.

Conspiring to commit malicious damage and destruction of a building, and the act of doing so, are federal crimes punishable by at least five and up to 20 years in prison.

Donatelli and Schweitzer were originally arrested on local charges and have been moved to federal custody. Their federal case was unsealed today.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF), announced the charges and acknowledged the assistance of the Cincinnati Fire Department, Cincinnati Police Department, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and Union Township Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Megan Gaffney Painter and Julie D. Garcia are representing the United States in this case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

As the investigation continues, the community is left to wonder what drove Donatelli and Schweitzer to commit such a heinous crime.

The Grocery store has since reopened, but the memories of that fateful night will linger on.