Posts Tagged: arson

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Georgia man sentenced to 20 years in prison for setting fire to the home of woman who rejected him

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Cobb Sheriff

A Georgia man will spend the next 20 years in prison for setting fire to a woman's home after she rejected his advances.

Jerel Jay Wilson, 29, of Union City, was found guilty Monday of arson in the first-degree, arson in the second=degree, and simple battery.

Prosecutors say Wilson broke into a woman's apartment on September 11, 2018, set fire to her bedroom and physically attacked her for reacting his advances.

Several weeks later, he attacked her again in a hotel parking lot and set fire to her car.

Assistant District Attorney Jared Horowitz said Wilson's "jealousy and rejection left a path of destruction."

Horowitz said the victim was "tormented by this defendant," and he thanked the jury for their "service during a pandemic and for delivering justice to this woman."

He added: "This verdict sends a message that this kind of dangerous behavior will not be tolerated in Cobb County."

Wilson will receive counseling behind bars to help him resolve his poor impulse control and anger issues before being released back into society.

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Historic Krispy Kreme in Atlanta, owned by Shaquille O’Neal, burns to the ground

George Pimentel/Getty Images

A historic Krispy Kreme in Atlanta, Georgia, owned by NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, was heavily damaged by fire early Wednesday.

Atlanta fire crews responded to reports of a fire at the location shortly after midnight. When fire crews arrived, the historic structure was fully engulfed in flames, ESPN reported.

The fire reportedly started in the rear of the building. Video posted on social media shows roaring flames. No injuries were reported.

O'Neal bought the store in 2016. Originally built in 1965, the Krispy Kreme fed mourners after Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral in 1968 by donating 150 dozen doughnuts to Atlanta churches.

"I hope no one was hurt and we will bounce back better than ever," the Basketball Hall of Famer told WXIA-TV.

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Wisconsin woman arrested for setting ex-boyfriend’s car on fire

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A Wisconsin woman was arrested for taking the law into her own hands after she caught her ex-boyfriend with another woman.

Kelly S. Hayes, of Madison, is accused of smashing out the windows of a car owned by her ex-boyfriend, then pouring an accelerant inside the car and setting it on fire.

The arson incident happened on the South Side on Tuesday, police say. The crime of passion was caught on cellphone video and uploaded to Facebook.
 

Police and fire crews responded to an apartment complex on the 2000 block of Greenway Cross around 5 p.m. The car, a Chevy Impala, was already engulfed in flames by the time fire crews arrived to put out the blaze.

A witness told police that a woman armed with a baseball bat broke out the windows on the car before dousing the car with gas and setting it on fire.

Cell phone video shows a woman wearing a black hoodie, face mask and gloves setting the car on fire. A small explosion knocked the women to the ground before she grabbed a red gas can and ran off.

Another witness got the license plate number of the car the scorned woman drove off in. Police ran the license plate and linked it to Hayes, 34, who had a past relationship with the unidentified car owner, police say.

Hayes was arrested and charged with suspicion of arson and criminal damage to property. She showed no remorse for her crime in her smiling mugshot.

The car is a total loss, police said.

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Natalie White, Rayshard Brooks’ alleged girlfriend, on house arrest

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A judge granted bond for Rayshard Brooks' alleged girlfriend, Natalie White, who was arrested for burning down the Wendy's restaurant where Brooks was killed by an Atlanta police officer.

White made her first court appearance Wednesday, wearing a white face mask and blue prison shirt.

A judge granted her bond in the amount of $10,000, but the judge ordered the 29-year-old to wear an ankle monitor while on house arrest because he was concerned White was a danger to the community.

White's attorney, Drew Findling, told Judge Todd Ashley that he's known the White family for 20 years.

He said the family was financially strapped and unable to afford any bond. He asked the judge for a signature bond only.

White is reportedly the girlfriend of Brooks, who was married to Tomika Miller, the mother of 3 of his four children.

White was arrested Tuesday, the same day Brooks was laid to rest in Atlanta.

Curtis Compton-Pool/Getty Images

Miller is seen with her three children during Brooks' funeral service at historic istoric Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Brooks mentioned a "Natalie White" as his girlfriend in police body cam footage before he died.

"Natalie White, she's my girlfriend," Brooks told the officers.
 

The attorney for White claims she was "close friends" with Brooks, but the attorney for Brooks' family say they are unaware of any connection between them.

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Rayshard Brooks’ alleged girlfriend arrested on first-degree arson charges

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Rayshard Brooks’ girlfriend, Natalie White, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly burning down the Wendy's restaurant in Atlanta where Brooks was fatally shot by police.

White is reportedly the girlfriend of Brooks, who was married to Tomika Miller, the mother of 3 of his four children.

White was arrested Tuesday, the same day Brooks was laid to rest in Atlanta.

Pictures and videos allegedly show White holding an aerosol can which was used to spread the flames.

Brooks mentioned a "Natalie White" as his girlfriend in police body cam footage before he died.

"Natalie White, she's my girlfriend," Brooks told the officers.
 

The attorney for White claims she was "close friends" with Brooks, but the attorney for Brooks' family say they are unaware of any connection between them.

A bond hearing for White is set for today, June 24.

Brooks, 27, was gunned down after stealing a police taser and firing it at a pursuing officer after he ran while resisting a DUI arrest on June 12.

Both officers were fired from the police force and charged in Brooks' death.

A group of about 50 people protested Tuesday night outside the Fulton County Jail demanding White's release. Bloggers are raising money to pay her bond.
 

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Arrest warrant issued for Rayshard Brooks’ girlfriend for suspicion of arson

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An arrest warrant has been issued for Rayshard Brooks' girlfriend, Natalie White, a suspect in the torching of the Wendy's restaurant where Brooks was gunned down by a police officer.

White, 29, was captured on cellphone video allegedly pouring an accelerant into the restaurant before it burned to the ground following peaceful protests on the night of June 13.

White faces charges of arson in the first degree, the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department said on Saturday.

Police responded to a call about a man asleep behind the wheel of a car in the Wendy's drive-thru lane.

In police body cam footage, Brooks said White was his girlfriend.

"Natalie White, she's my girlfriend," he told the officers. He explained that she dropped him off at the restaurant and then walked to her home a few blocks away.

He said when police arrived, he backed the car into a parking space but he did not drive the car to the restaurant.

Brooks was shot multiple times as he fled from the police officers who attempted to arrest him for a suspected DUI.

Surveillance video shows Brooks turn and fire the taser at the pursuing officer who shot him twice in the back.

Officer Garrett Rolfe was fired from the police force and charged with 11 criminal counts including felony murder and aggravated assault.

Brooks' wife, Tomika Miller, was gifted with a new car to help her get around with her four children, 13-year-old step-son Mekai, and daughters Blessing, 8, Memory, 2, and Dream, 1.
 

 

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Firefighters warn TikTok users to stop putting pennies on exposed iPhone chargers in dangerous viral challenge

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Fire officials in Massachusetts are warning TikTok users not to participate in a dangerous viral challenge that causes fires when pennies are placed on iPhone chargers.

The viral trend is responsible for setting classrooms on fire at two Massachusetts schools this week.

The Plymouth fire department issued letters to Plymouth North High School students and parents warning them to stop putting pennies on the exposed prongs of iPhone chargers.

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Photos: Plymouth Fire Department

Firefighters say the exposed prongs coming in contact with a copper penny causes an arc of electricity from electrical outlets.

According to a teacher, two students plugged iPhone chargers into outlets and placed a penny between the partially exposed prongs of the charger and the outlet, resulting in sparks and flames.

"It's almost like an explosion," said Plymouth Fire Chief Edward Bradley. "The electricity propels the charger and the coin - the coin is molten metal at this point," Bradley told WHDH TV.

"It does not take much to be electrocuted fatally just by an outlet in a wall socket," he explained.

Amherst Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff Olmstead said the viral challenge could cause thousands of dollars in damage to the electrical system "if they have to pull those wires back to a circuit breaker. The damage to the person, electrocution causing burns or death or starting clothes on fire or items nearby," he told Western Mass News.

Olmstead said pranksters will be charged with felony arson and property damage.

"Although they are younger, they will face fees, fines and probation and no one wants to see them have a felony or conviction on a record."