An 18-year-old Lawrenceville man has been charged with setting fire to a house he apparently burglarized, according to information released Saturday by the Gwinnett County Fire Department.
Austin Childers has been charged with burglary, arson in the first degree and possession of tools for the commission of a crime. The three felony charges are all connected to a New Year's Day house fire on Castle Royale Drive in unincorporated Lawrenceville.
"Childers was initially labeled as a possible witness in the case, but was later identified as a suspect based on information obtained during the investigation," said Gwinnett County Fire Department Lt. Justin Wilson in a press statement. "Fire investigators were able to match the description given by a responding fire crew and a second witness, of an individual on a skateboard, to Ring doorbell video related to other crimes that occurred in the same area that night."
Childers was arrested on Jan. 8, according to Wilson, on charges unrelated to the arson. He reportedly admitted to the burglary and arson during an interview at the jail.
According to Wilson, Childers faces charges on a number of unrelated Gwinnett County Police Department cases, and he is expected to be charged in those cases in the coming days.
