FLOYD COUNTY, Ga. — Police in Floyd County say they are charging a 22-year-old with arson after nearly 200 acres were burned over the weekend.
Fire officials reported a wildfire that burned for hours on Sunday afternoon in the Highway 156 area. Once it had been contained, officials said a mobile home was burned and an outbuilding was destroyed, but no one was hurt.
On Wednesday, police announced they had taken out arson warrants against a woman and expected to make an arrest soon.
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According to a copy of the incident report obtained by Channel 2 Action News, police identified Ainsley Sutton, 22, as the person who had supposedly started the fire. They say she had soot on her face and arms.
The report says that Sutton told officers she started the fire by burning pine straw with a lighter because she was angry at her dad. Officers noted that she seemed scared about what she had done and appeared remorseful.
Sutton’s mother told police that she suffers from mental illness. Officers placed Sutton under arrest, but they took her to the hospital instead of jail.
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As firefighters worked to contain the blaze, between 35 and 40 homes were evacuated.
One man reported to police that 75% of a hay field owned by his mother had burned and a small boat and truck had suffered damage.
According to jail records on Thursday morning, Sutton had not been booked into the Floyd County Detention Center. It’s unclear if she remains at the hospital.
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