HARTWELL – Two Hart County residents are the first in the state to receive rewards from the Georgia Arson Control Program in 2021.
The two residents provided information leading to the arrest and conviction of a 2019 arsonist and will receive $4,500 each from the Georgia Arson Control Board.
“The fire occurred July 1, 2019, at 6:40 a.m., at 648 Joe Findley Road, Royston, which is in Hart County,” said State Fire Investigator Brian Smith. “It was a doublewide mobile home that received heavy damage. A fire in the area of the back porch burnt into the structure, destroying the structure.”
Hart County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Carroll said the investigation and subsequent capture of James Colby Chastain of Vanna was a time-consuming process, including having to seek the suspect in another state.
“It took a lot of effort,” Carroll said. “We had to use the U.S. Marshals Service and there were a lot of resources used to track him down, especially when it goes state to state – that takes a lot of people.”
Chastain, 25 at the time, was arrested in Columbia, S.C., more than a month after the fire.
Smith said Hart County has seen several arson cases in recent years.
“In 2019, the State Fire Marshal’s Office worked four cases here in Hart County,” Smith said. “One of those cases was an undetermined fire. The other three were an intentionally set fire. Out of those three cases, two of those cases were cleared by arrest.”
Smith said the Georgia Arson Control Reward Program is an important deterrent, but also is a valuable tool for investigators.
“The program works, but it works because we have folks that want to give information and it really helps us out in our investigation,” Smith said.
Carroll agreed.
“The public’s help is huge, and I hope this shows the public that there are resources out there when they give information,” Carroll said. “In the future, I hope people will be more willing to give information knowing they can get something in return.”
The presentation to one of the recipients was made Thursday at the Hart County Sheriff's Office.
The Georgia Arson Control Program Inc. was formed in 1979 by property and casualty insurers writing business in Georgia. With the cooperation of the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office and state and local law enforcement, GAC set up a toll-free Arson Hotline with a rewards fund from which monetary rewards are given to individuals who come forward with information that results in the arrest and conviction of arsonists.
“We’ve given almost $2 million away in rewards since then,” said Georgia Arson Control Consultant Kenneth LeCroy. “We’re averaging about $4,000 a reward at this time. This is the first two rewards we’ve given away this year, but we’re looking to give a lot more away and anybody is eligible. You don’t have to be a Georgia resident or anything; it just has to be a fire here in Georgia and you’ll be eligible for giving information that helps solve the case.”
To provide information about an arson fire anywhere in Georgia, call the Arson Hotline at (800) 282-5804.
