Arrest in Barnesville arson investigation
A 61-year-old woman was arrested and charged with at least one count of arson Wednesday night in Barnesville.
Assistant Police Chief Craig Cooper told FOX 5 that investigators got a tip that led them to set up a stakeout on Atlanta Street. During the stakeout, police said the female suspect arrived and tried to start a fire, and was then arrested.
She was taken to the Lamar County jail. Police suspect she is linked to a series of fires. They have not released her name, but said she is due in court Thursday.
One arson occurred Tuesday night around 9:30 p.m. on Atlanta Street at the home of Britney Evans. She showed FOX 5 a pile of leaves and a burnt cardboard box. The fire department said the materials were used to set a fire in the crawl space under the home of Evans while she was inside.
“Me being home alone it was so scary and it was early like 9:30 or 10 p.m., so I don’t think they’re waiting for people to go to sleep, like they don’t care. They want to attack no matter what time it is,” Evans said.
The fire at Evans’ home is among a series of fires in recent days on Atlanta Street, including the torching of a BMW at an apartment complex. A couple blocks away, a vacant home was badly damaged.
Chief Steve Andrews, who heads both Lamar County Fire and Rescue and the Barnesville Fire Department, said the blazes started in mid February with a series of smaller grass fires on the outskirts of the city. But in recent days, the fires have become more dangerous.
