The Gwinnett County man accused of setting a former coworker's home on fire last month has been arrested.
Online records show Clifford David Malone, 65, was booked into the Gwinnett County jail shortly after 10 p.m. Monday and charged with arson and probation violation. It was not immediately clear how the Lawrenceville man was detained, but he had been sought since the Oct. 18 fire that caused "major" damage to a home on Amelia Way.
The fire came just a few hours after the house was burglarized, and the victim believed it wasn’t the first time Malone tried to set her home ablaze.
According to a police incident report, the victim told authorities she had worked for Malone but they had a “falling out” when she demanded payment. On the evening before the fire, she came home to find a broken window and her 32-inch TV stolen, she said.
The woman immediately assumed Malone was to blame.
“The victim stated the suspect has threatened her in the past,” the incident report said. “… The victim stated the suspect tried to burn her house down a few months prior to this incident.”
The fire broke out about four hours after that report was made. Police discovered the fire while responding to a suspicious person call at the residence, and the victim reported seeing Malone walking “from the area of her home” before speeding off in an SUV.
Fire investigators spoke with Malone during a traffic stop shortly after the fire, but he was not detained at the time.
Jail records show Malone is being held without bond.
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