Suspect in North Georgia church arson already in custody in Cherokee
A suspected arsonist wanted in a Christmas night church fire was already sitting in a North Georgia jail, authorities said.
Local and state investigators on Friday asked for the public’s help to identify the man from surveillance footage after determining the fire at Solid Rock Baptist Church in Cleveland was intentionally set. Clint Vance was identified as a suspect less than 24 hours later.
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Vance, 33, is being held in the Cherokee County jail on unrelated charges, White County Sheriff's Capt. Clay Hammond told North Georgia radio station WDUN.
He was identified from an anonymous tip, according to Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King. The fire burned out on its own and went unnoticed until the next day, but a man was seen on the church’s video surveillance cameras.
The blaze caused minor damage to the outside of the 7,000-square-foot wooden structure, authorities said.
Vance is facing charges of arson and vandalism to a place of worship in the White County case. He has pending charges of theft by shoplifting, possession of meth, possession of drug-related objects and violation of probation out of Cherokee, authorities in that county told AJC.com.
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