Man pleads guilty to throwing incendiary device that caused fire at Tri-State grocery store

The video above is from a previous broadcast of FOX19 NOW.

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – A Cincinnati man accused of causing a fire at a Spring Grove Village grocery store pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

Donald Donatelli, The 28-year-old took a plea deal and admitted damaging Tree Top Grocery using a Molotov cocktail, a hand-thrown incendiary device, according to Kenneth Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of 66 months in prison, Parker said.

The incident occurred on November 26 at 22:00.

Court documents say Donatelli threw the incendiary device into the convenience store on Gwinnet Drive while the store owner and his wife were inside.

FOX19 NOW’s previous post says: The fire caused $300,000 in damage and even damaged adjacent buildings.

According to Parker, Donatelli went to the store with the co-defendant. Angela Schweitzer, 35.

Parker says Donatelli approached the front glass doors with a bottle of gasoline that contained a rag.

Parker said Schweitzer burned the rag and threw the bottle inside the doors while filming the crime on Snapchat.

Donatelli pleaded guilty to willfully causing damage and destruction of a building in interstate commerce.

Charges against Schweitzer are still pending, Parker said.

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