A Sadsbury Township man charged with endangering his neighbor’s home when he intentionally set his own residence ablaze will have his case proceed to county court after waiving his preliminary hearing earlier this month.

Joseph Frank Roda, 55, waived his preliminary hearing before Judge Raymond Sheller on Sept. 3 on a single count of reckless burning.

Roda is accused of recklessly placing a neighboring residence in danger when he purposefully set fire to his abandoned home in the 100 block of Upper Valley Road the afternoon of July 26.

A large tree situated between the neighboring home, itself less than 60 feet away from Roda’s own residence, caught fire before firefighters arrived.

Roda told police he was in the process of tearing down the remainder of the abandoned home by pulling plywood from the exterior, piling it less than a foot away from the wall and setting fire on it using a match and gasoline. As the fire grew it caught the side of Roda’s residence on fire.

After Roda’s own home caught fire he did not call 911 or attempt to put out the blaze using a nearby garden hose, claiming its purpose was solely for watering plants.

Though Roda repeatedly claimed to firefighters and a Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal that he had a burn permit to destroy debris on the property, he refused to provide it as proof.

Roda is currently free on $25,000 unsecured bail.

Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Ryan Gehman filed the charges.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.