After almost fifteen months, the case against a man believed responsible for starting a fire inside the courthouse remains pending in court. A trial date has been set for April 4, 2018
53 year old Gary Wayne Ponder was indicted by the Grand Jury in April on a charge of arson. He is currently on house arrest meaning he can’t leave home except for his own court appearances or to see a doctor. He is not allowed to be in the courthouse or anywhere else at any other time.
Ponder made a brief appearance in DeKalb County Criminal Court Monday, September 11. His case has been set for trial April 4, 2018. He is being represented by the District Public Defender’s Office.
Smithville Police charged Ponder on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 after he was observed on the courthouse surveillance video system intentionally lighting fire in a newspaper recycling bin on the first floor vestibule. The video showed that on Tuesday, June 14 Ponder grabbed newspapers from the recycling bin and started the fire by lighting them with a cigarette lighter. The fire damaged the wall behind the recycling bin and cracked a window in the vestibule near the first floor entrance of the courthouse.
County Mayor Tim Stribling told WJLE that the total damages to the courthouse caused by the fire came to $120,706.52, which is the amount of the claim paid by the county’s insurance provider.
After the fire smoke had to be cleared from the courthouse, new ceiling tiles and dry wall work were required and a broken glass in the vestibule doorway had to be replaced.
The county also installed a new fire alarm system in the courthouse provided by FireTeam of Tracy City at a cost of $35,363.81. The system meets the latest International Fire Codes.
Archived News & Obituaries