EVANS CITY — The case against an Evans City man accused of arson will proceed to the county level after a preliminary hearing Tuesday.

District Judge Wayne Seibel moved forward charges against Larry Stevick, 32, who was accused by Mars Police regarding a fire at his home last month.

During the fire, four Harmony Fire District firefighters were trapped momentarily inside the burning home.

Stevick faces a felony count of arson, four misdemeanor counts of endangering another person and one count of cruelty to animals.

Three of the four firefighters attended the hearing but did not testify. It was noted they would be willing to testify later, in addition to the written statements they already submitted.

Stevick was also charged with one misdemeanor count of simple assault and one summary harassment related to a domestic incident before the fire.

Stevick, who is free on $10,000 unsecured bail, attended the preliminary hearing alongside his attorney, John Haller Jr.

He is scheduled to appear for a formal arraignment April 27 at the Butler County Courthouse.

Although Haller cross-examined the two officers giving testimony Tuesday, he did not request changes or dismissal of any charges.

“We've heard this case once before, so I'm pretty sure the court is familiar with it,” Haller said.

Haller declined further comment after the hearing.

Mars Police Officer Beau Sneddon testified to the initial response to the fire, which was dispatched by Butler County 911 at 10:03 p.m. July 2 at the Garfield Avenue home.

“I proceeded to that area and found the residence engulfed in fire,” he said.

Sneddon said he encountered Stevick's live-in girlfriend.

Sneddon said he took a written statement from Stevick's girlfriend, and photographed injuries she said she suffered from an altercation with Stevick shortly before the fire.

According to charging documents, the girlfriend suffered multiple bruises and told police she heard Stevick say he was “ending it tonight.”

In later testimony, Mars investigator Conrad Pfeifer, who was at the scene as a Middlesex police officer, reviewed how he compiled statements, interviews and evidence from multiple sources for the state's case.

Pfeifer said in addition to interviews, he retrieved video from a neighbor's security system showing Stevick carrying oil jugs from the garage.

“It would have been at the same time as the fire,” Pfeifer said.

Based on the testimony of Sneddon and a report by a state police fire marshal read by Pfeifer, there was evidence of oil being spread around in areas believed to be the origin of the fire, leading to the arson determination.

“The oil was strewn kind of on the walls, and there were jugs on the ground,” Sneddon testified.

Neither attorney offered a closing argument, and Assistant District Attorney Amanda Scarpo held firm on moving all the charges forward.