Thomasville- Kelly McCloud was burned while destroying his parents' home on Wood Lake Drive in Thomasville Monday night. But he wasn't hurt seriously enough to keep him out of jail.
A charred stucco facade is all that's left of the house. "We know it's going to be arson," says Thomas County Sheriff's investigator, Tim Watkins. Investigators add that McCloud, had been arguing with his parents. "They were hoping that would help him cool down, by him just being here by himself. And instead of cooling down, he vented his anger," says Watkins.
Investigators say McCloud ran from the house after the fire was set. He then swam across a pond in the back, to a neighbors house. "Upon getting there, the deputy noticed that he had some burns to his self. He was transported to Archbold, the hospital," says Watkins.
That's when investigators began looking into the case. They used a specially trained dog to help them know for sure the fire was, in fact, arson. "The dog is trained to alert on types of accelerant. They will show the burn patterns where the accelerant was actually poured," says Watkins.
Right now, samples of the accelerant are on their way to be analyzed. "We'll take the samples and send them to the state crime lab. And they'll confirm what type of accelerant was used," says Watkins.
After being mentally evaluated, McCloud will be taken to jail and charged with arson. If convicted, his next stop could be 20 years in the state penitentiary.
Investigators say that while they aren't sure what type of accelerant was used, they did find a gasoline can on a piece of furniture.
Posted by stephen.ryan@walb.com
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