THOMASTON, Ga. — Instead of launching fireworks on July 4, an Oklahoma man is accused of setting fire to an Upson County building, and according to the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, they believe the case might be connected to a string of other fires set in the southern and western United States.
They say, Nexus Christian, 50, of Durant, Okla., was caught on surveillance footage pulling into the parking lot of the building on South Church Street in downtown Thomaston and then speeding away before the fire took hold.
After the fire, investigators with the Upson County Sheriff's Office and the Thomaston Police Department were able to identify Christian, but it took agents to Texas and Oklahoma to try and locate Christian, the press release said.
They say Christian was arrested Wednesday.
But according to a press release from the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, they believe the fire in Thomaston is also connected to other fires set in other southern and western towns.
The local investigators were helped by the Texas State Fire Marshal's Office, the Collin County Fire Investigation Unit, Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office, the McAlester Fire Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
We contacted these agencies for more information on the other cases that authorities are looking into, but we are waiting to hear back.
But according to an email from the Insurance and Safety Fire Commission, they cannot provide more information on the case because those other cases are still under investigation.
"I would like to thank each agency who took part in this multi-state coordinated effort to bring Mr. Christian to justice," King said in the press release.