Arson suspect in custody in Catoosa County
Oct. 22—Deputies have arrested a suspect in relation to a recent series of what authorities said were deliberately set fires in northern Catoosa and Walker counties.
Catoosa County spokesperson John Pless confirmed that a suspect was arrested shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
"I can confirm there is a person in custody," Pless said by phone. "That is something that just happened within the last few minutes, so we will release more information on that as soon as we can."
Authorities have planned a news conference for Friday at 3 p.m. at the Catoosa County Sheriff's Office to discuss other details.
News of the arrest comes just one day after Catoosa County officials sent out a plea to local residents asking for help identifying a man seen on a security camera video allegedly setting fire to a building in Fort Oglethorpe.
The footage shows a man dressed in a hoodie walking toward the back of the building at around 12:11 a.m. on Wednesday at a building at the corner of Lafayette Road and Riddle Street. Three minutes after he arrived at the back of the building, the fire appears to begin. The man can then be seen walking, then running from the scene toward Cross Street.
Catoosa County and Walker County firefighters responded after the fire was reported to 911 and quickly extinguished the flames, containing the damage to the outside siding and the edge of the roof.
On Thursday, Pless said the fire was similar to recent fires in Rossville and Catoosa County's Lakeview community because of the manner in which it was started. He said in each case the fires appeared to start outside of the structures, then spread up along the walls. In the case of the Lafayette Road fire, the flames were started using an accelerant on the stairs.
In two of three cases earlier this summer in which homes in the Lakeview community were set ablaze, the homes were vacant and undergoing renovations. In the third case, a family was still living in the home at the time of the fire. They were home at the time and managed to escape without injury, though the home itself reportedly suffered extensive damage.
Shortly after the third fire, Pless said the county was dedicated to finding whoever is responsible.
"We want people to be more aware for their own safety but also so they can let us know if they notice anyone or anything strange," he said. "Folks living in that area are understandably a little shaken up by all of this, as are we."
This is a developing story.
Contact Kelcey Caulder at kcaulder@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6327. Follow her on Twitter @kelceycaulder.
