September 10, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Someone has been setting fires to abandoned houses, mailboxes, and a barn in the Lower Helton, Walker Creek, Jackson Hollow, Oakley Hollow, and Hickman Road areas and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is asking for your help in solving the crimes.
Burning of Mailbox Walkers Creek Road Video from dwayne page on Vimeo.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said Detective Brian Williams is investigating with assistance of the Fire Investigation Unit of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Although witnesses and persons of interest have been interviewed during this investigation no one has yet been arrested but a grainy surveillance video (shown here) captured one of the mailbox arsons in progress at 10:51 p.m. September 7 on Walker Creek Road and a vehicle believed to be a light colored Nissan Altima can be seen in the video along with the suspect. Three other mailboxes were burned the same night, including another on Walker Creek Road, one on Hickman Highway, and one on Lower Helton Road along with a barn filled with rolls of hay and farm equipment on Lower Helton Road.
According to Sheriff Ray the 40’ x 60’ barn had an estimated value of $20,000 and sheltered 25 rolls of hay, a 6640 Ford tractor valued at $20,000, a 585 hayroller worth $10,000, and a 5408 New Idea disk mower valued at $2,500. All were destroyed. The fire also damaged a 489 hay bine worth $2,000 and a hay rake valued at $2,000. The barn and farm equipment were owned by separate individuals.
The abandoned houses were burned on the night of August 27 or early morning August 28 on Oakley Hollow Road and the night of September 6 or early morning September 7 on Jackson Hollow Road. Neither home had anything of value within nor any electricity. The value of the home on Oakley Hollow Road was estimated at $15,000 and the value of the house on Jackson Hollow Road is unknown.
If you have knowledge of the person or persons who committed these crimes or can identify a suspect from the video shown here please call Detective Williams at 615-597-4935 extension 224.
“We ask the public, especially residents in the areas where these arsons have been committed, to be vigilant and report anything you see or hear that may seem suspicious or out of place. Contact us and we will send a deputy to check on it. If you should spot a suspect or his/her vehicle get the tag number but do not approach the individual. Do not put yourself in danger,” said Sheriff Ray.