Five men were arrested after they got drunk, damaged a vacant home, set it on fire and posted the incident on social media, according to the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office.
The men — Collin Landon Gwinn, 20, Bryan Thomas Libourel, 18, Stone Lloyd Matheson, 19, and Brandon Andrew Nino, 20, all of Newnan, and Lanier Daniel Brooking, 19, of Sharpsburg — left the scene as the Sharpsburg home burned, according to an incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Coweta County Sheriff's Office
Authorities were notified of the April 19 fire in the 500 block of McIntosh Trail through a tip from the Coweta County Fire Department, according to the report. The tip indicated Matheson sent videos and pictures of the fire to friend Brandon Allen Dees via Instagram, Snapchat or text messaging.
Deputies tracked down Dees, who admitted Matheson sent him the videos and claimed to set the home on fire. Dees also identified the other men involved, according to the report.
The video showed the men, who were not authorized to be at the residence, inside the home damaging windows with a chair, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol before starting a fire in the living room of the home, according to the report. One of them also lit a couch on fire. The men were heard on the video shouting expletives and cheering as the fire grew to an estimated 15 feet, according to the report.
After starting the fire, officials said the men left the scene. The Georgia Forestry Commission reported the fire and built a fire break to prevent the blaze from spreading and damaging the land between the house and other homes, according to the report.
Authorities said they later interviewed Matheson at his job at Riptide Car Wash, where he admitted his involvement in the video and sending them to Dees. Deputies said each man involved in the arson admitted their involvement and identified the other men in the video.
The men each face a first-degree arson charge.
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