A man was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison after scheming with an employee to set his Douglas County business ablaze, authorities said.
Christopher Hedgecock, 35, was convicted of three counts of arson and one count of insurance fraud for the August 2014 fire that injured a firefighter, according to a news release by the Office Of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. Seventeen fire units responded to the large fire.
Hedgecock was the owner of Town and Country Fabrics & Upholstery in Douglasville’s historic district, and he schemed with his employee, Derek Rosa, to set the business on fire, AJC.com previously reported. Rosa pleaded guilty to an arson charge in 2018.
RELATED: Businessman convicted of setting store ablaze for insurance money
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Credit: Channel 2 Action News
Hedgecock’s trial lasted about a week, and he was convicted after a day of deliberation by the jury, the release said. Assistant District Attorney Brett Adams, who prosecuted the case, called him an “unrepentant criminal” who “showed no remorse for his crime.”
After his prison sentence, he will spend 10 years on probation. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution, the release said.
The investigation into this incident was conducted by the Douglas County Fire Department, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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