37 days ago
Someone tried to set the Marshallville police station on fire over the weekend, Police Chief Ronald Jackson said Tuesday.
Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine said his department's arson unit is investigating, assisted by Marshallville police. He said the damage was discovered on Monday.
Glenn Allen, a spokesman for the commissioner, said someone poured gasoline on a back brick wall of the station and lit it. The wall was blackened (see photo) but Allen said damage was minimal.
Chief Jackson said that a shirt and ski mask were found at the scene and were sent to the GBI crime lab to be examined for DNA evidence.
Jackson said he suspected the fire was set after 2 a.m. early Sunday while officers responded to a call that someone was trapped in a car outside of town. The officers found no one and Jackson said the call was apparently meant to lure the officers away from the police station.
Jackson said he is reviewing recent cases for clues to possible suspects in the arson.
He says his first reaction to the fire was, "thank God the building didn't burn."
Jackson says whoever started the fire must have been an amateur, because they tried to use gasoline to set a brick wall on fire.
In January 2006, several people broke into the home of Marshallville's then-police chief Stephen Stewart and set it on fire. The house was gutted.
That happened hours after a suspect died in police custody. Clint Walker, 48, had scuffled with police as they arrested him on suspicion of probation and parole violations.
A grand jury reviewed the case and decided not to charge the two arresting officers with a crime.
Toxicology reports showed that the Walker had cocaine and alcohol in his system when he was arrested.
Stewart later left town for a new job.
That arson case remains unsolved, but Chief Jackson says it has no connection to this one.
He says based on how this fire was set, you cannot even compare the two cases.
Although this fire caused far less damage, Jackson says his six officer department takes it seriously.
He says, "we're going to work this, this is a challenge and we are going to do what we need to do. I think my guys are going to step up to the plate and hopefully we will solve this one."
Jackson hopes cracking this case will help them solve others from the past.
Jackson has been police chief since January 1, 2009.
He says if anyone has information on the case, they can call the police department at 478-967-2232.
Jackson says people should be on the lookout for someone with fresh burns on their hands.
He also says the person responsible may be familiar with the building, because they set the fire outside the view of the surveillance camera.
