While his son lived with his ex-wife in Price Hill, Layne allowed his son to come to his house each morning so the teen could attend Oak Hills and ride there with a neighbor
I think you all have missed an important point in the story. The son was NOT left ALONE in the sense that he didn't LIVE at this home. He lives with his mother somewhere else. He is only allowed ACCESS to the fathers home so that he can bypass the residency rules and attend a different school than the one he should be attending where he actually resides. That is where the father made a mistake. That and apparently giving the child keys to a home he doesn't live in. The son didn't have any of HIS personal belongings in the home so what did he care if it was burned down.

To me what is important in being a parent is to set a good example. His father was setting the example that it is ok to break the rules if it is a benefit to yourself. If he hadn't done that in the first place and hadn't given the brat keys then perhaps this never would have happened eh?

Denyce