April 2, 2022
By: Dwayne Page
A man believed to be responsible for setting fire to two vehicles and a house in January 2021 was indicted last Monday, March 28 by the DeKalb County Grand Jury.
22-year-old Jacob Clinton Williams is under indictment for one count of arson and two counts of setting fire to personal property. He will be arraigned in DeKalb County Criminal Court on Monday, April 4.
The crimes occurred on January 16, 2021 and were investigated by the Smithville Police Department.
“We responded to a call of a car fire at a residence on South College Street,” said Detective Brandon Donnell. “The police and fire departments showed up but the fire was already put out. Only the tire was on fire. About 30 minutes later we got a call of a house fire on Jennings Lane. By the time they (police and fire) got there it (house) was fully engulfed. Police realized that the car which was on fire on South College Street was registered to the same man who rented the house on Jennings Lane. By the time I was called to the scene another car at the same house on South College Street was lit on fire. They (fire department) arrived and got that put out,” Detective Donnell explained.
The following day, Williams became a person of interest to police after his girlfriend came forward with a tip.
“I got a phone call the next day from a woman who said her boyfriend, Williams suspected that she may have been seeing the man who lived in the house and owned one of the cars that caught fire. I went to neighbors and viewed video from their security cameras the night of the crimes which showed Williams’ car leaving the fires,” said Detective Donnell.
Police later learned that while on his way back to Cookeville where he lived, Williams almost hit a car head on while traveling Cookeville Highway. “The driver of the car he almost struck turned around and followed Williams to the Dollar General Store near the Interstate and saw him throw something out the window. The next day we (police) went to that location and found a jug of gasoline that we believe he threw out,” Detective Donnell continued.
A few days later police discovered that Williams had already been picked up and was in jail at Putnam County for unrelated offenses. “We went there to talk with him but he would not cooperate,” said Detective Donnell. We then went to his mother’s house and found Williams’ car, which was the same one observed on video leaving the fires the night of the crimes. We took a warrant against him which was served upon his release from custody in Putnam County,” added Detective Donnell.