Police Charge Man with Aggravated Arson for Setting Fire at Courthouse

Smithville Police have charged a man with aggravated arson for intentionally setting a fire in the courthouse Tuesday afternoon.
Police Chief Mark Collins told WJLE that 52 year old Gary Wayne Ponder of 7851 Old Mill Hill Road, Dowelltown is under a $75,000 bond and he will appear in General Sessions Court on June 30. Ponder was taken into custody by Smithville Police at his home Wednesday morning.
Chief Collins said Ponder could also be facing federal charges since the fire was set in the courthouse.
Initially authorities speculated that someone had discarded a lit cigarette into a newspaper recycling bin causing the fire. But today, police viewed video from a surveillance camera in the courthouse which showed that 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 to the courthouse.
The warrant states “on Tuesday, June 14, Gary Ponder did intentionally set a fire in the 1st floor of the courthouse by grabbing newspapers out of a recycling bin and lighting them on fire with a cigarette lighter. The fire did cause severe damage to the courthouse, thousands of dollars worth of damage. Mr. Ponder did put several lives at risk who were at the courthouse at the time of the fire. The incident occurred at approximately 2:25 p.m. Mr. Ponder was seen on camera committing the offense.”