April 5, 2023
By: Dwayne Page
A woman believed to have been responsible for a fire in the Jefferson Community last fall has been indicted by the DeKalb County Grand Jury for two counts of arson.
38-year-old Scarlett Suzette Lawrence Strayn was named in a sealed indictment by the grand jury on Monday, April 3. Her bond is $120,000 and she will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on April 10.
The indictments allege that on November 7, 2022 Strayn unlawfully and knowingly damaged a structure as well as personal property, land, or other property belonging to Jermaica League by means of a fire or explosion without the consent of all persons who had a possessory, proprietary, or security interest therein in violation of Tennessee Code Annotated (State Law).
Members of the DeKalb County Fire Department were dispatched at 2:32 a.m. on November 7, 2022 to a single wide mobile home on South Judkins Lane in the Jefferson Community where the residence and a bass boat were reportedly on fire.
“Upon arrival firefighters found the mobile home with heavy fire showing through the roof on one end of the residence in the bedroom area. The bass boat also had heavy fire in the engine and fuel tank areas. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire containing the blaze to the bedroom of the mobile home. The remainder of the residence received extensive heat and smoke damage. Two caged dogs perished inside the home. The boat was extensively damaged by the fire,” said DeKalb County Fire Chief Donny Green.
No one was injured and no other nearby properties were damaged. The incident was investigated by DeKalb Sheriff’s Department detectives and the TBI.
The Keltonburg, Belk, Blue Springs, Four Seasons, Short Mountain Highway, and Main Stations responded along with the tanker, DeKalb EMS, and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department.