Ohio man charged with arson after police use electronic data from his PACEMAKER to claim he was too calm when his house burned down and set the blaze deliberately
- Ross Compton, 59, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Butler County Common Pleas Court to aggravated arson and insurance fraud charges
- Police say he intentionally burned down his Middletown home on September 19
- Compton told cops when he saw fire, he packed some belongings in a suitcase, broke a window with his cane and tossed the items out before going to car
- A cardiologist determined that it was 'highly improbable,' due to his medical conditions, that he could do all the collecting, packing and removal of items
An Ohio man has been charged with arson after police used electronic data from his pacemaker to claim he was too calm to have fled his burning home in fear.
Ross Compton, 59, is charged with felony aggravated arson and felony insurance fraud after police say he purposely set his Middletown home on fire on September 19.
A cardiologist told the police that Compton's story of waking to find his home ablaze and then frantically rushing to escape was 'highly improbable' due to his heart condition.
Authorities have also said gasoline was found on Compton's clothing and that the blaze started in multiple places at his home.
Lt. Jimmy Cunningham told WLWT-TV the medical data from Compton's pacemaker represented some of 'the key pieces of evidence' in the case that led to Compton's arrest.
Ross Compton (above in court Tuesday), 59, is charged with felony aggravated arson and felony insurance fraud after police say he purposely set his Middletown home on fire on September 19
Authorities have said gasoline was found on Compton's clothing and that the blaze started in multiple places at his home (scene above)
The 59-year-old man told authorities that when he saw the fire inside his Middletown home, he packed some belongings in a suitcase and bags, broke a window with his cane and threw the items through the window before carrying them to his car, according to police.
He also said he had a cardiac pacemaker, authorities said.
Court records show that police got a search warrant to retrieve electronic data stored on the heart device.
The data included Compton's heart rate, pacer demand and cardiac rhythms before, during and after the fire, police said.
A pacemaker monitors the heart and helps control irregular heart rhythms. The information is recorded and can be retrieved for analysis.
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Police were able to charge Compton (above in arrest photo) with two felonies based partly on data collected from his pacemaker
A cardiologist determined that it was 'highly improbable,' due to his medical conditions, that Compton could do all the collecting, packing and removal of items from his house and then carry them in the short period of time he indicated, according to court records.
Police have said statements they received from Compton were 'inconsistent' with the evidence they gathered.
They also have said that he gave statements conflicting with what he had told a dispatcher, the Hamilton-Middletown Journal-News reported.
Compton previously told WLWT that the investigation had 'gone way out of control' and that he had 'no motive whatsoever to burn down my house.'
Compton, who is not working and on full disability, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Butler County Common Pleas Court to aggravated arson and insurance fraud charges.
Fire officials have said the blaze at Compton's home (above) caused about $400,000 damage
The case has raised privacy concerns from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on defending civil liberties in the digital world.
Stephanie Lacambra, a criminal defense staff attorney with the San Francisco-based foundation, said in an email Tuesday that Americans shouldn't have to make a choice between health and privacy.
'We as a society value our rights to maintain privacy over personal and medical information, and compelling citizens to turn over protected health data to law enforcement erodes those rights,' Lacambra said.
Fire officials have said the blaze at Compton's home caused about $400,000 damage.
His next hearing is set for Februaly 21 in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4198450/Police-Ohio-mans-cardiac-pacemaker-data-leads-charges.html#ixzz4Y3lNgb9v
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