3 charged with arson in Georgia church fire

Three people have been charged with second-degree arson in a fire that destroyed a historic Georgia church earlier this month.

Frederick “Devin” Smith, 33; Monica Marie Burnett, 18; and a 16-year-old female were arrested, according to a Jan. 22 statement from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

The Smith Chapel Church, which dated back to more than 100 years in Bowdon, burned to the ground Jan. 4. Police said the trio claimed to have set fire to a hymnal inside the church to keep warm as they stopped there while they were walking.

All three suspects are from Carroll County.

“Smith Chapel Church was an important staple in our community, and I have fond memories of the area as I grew up in the Bowdon area,” said Sheriff Terry Langley.

“We are grateful for those individuals who called the tip line and provided information that led to these arrests, and we are working in conjunction with the Georgia Arson Control Board to review the information that led to the arrests in regard to the reward,” said Deputy Fire Chief Bud Benefield.

County Communications Director Ashley Hulsey told the Times-Georgian a witness saw flames coming from a pile of hymnals at the pulpit inside the chapel.

Hulsey said the building did not have electricity or gas and weather conditions were “pristine,” ruling out an accidental fire.

The church was founded by the Methodist Rev. John Thurman in 1851 and was formerly known as Mount Pleasant, according to Historic Rural Churches of Georgia, news outlets reported.