Clay County Sheriff’s Office is working to untangle a complicated web in an “arson for hire” plot.
Sheriff Eddie Scott said deputies caught who they believe to be the linchpin of a suspected plot Monday when they arrested 72-year-old Thomas E. Williams, of Pheba, on suspicion of two counts of arson. Scott said Williams, who was involved in the November 2015 burning of the West Point Stockyards — a sale barn for livestock — on Highway 45 Alternate, was the “common denominator” between that fire and a blaze in May that destroyed a home on Tribble Road in western Clay County.
No people or livestock were harmed in the stockyards fire, though the building was destroyed.
“He’s kind of the broker of the deal,” Scott said. “If you needed something, holler at him and he’d take care of it.”
Scott said the investigation really picked up last Wednesday. On Thursday, deputies arrested 54-year-old Michael Tribble, of Cedar Bluff, and 42-year-old Jason Williams, of Maben, both on suspicion of arson. On Friday, they arrested Daniel Easley, 38, of Oktibbeha County on an arson count. Each of the three men were suspected of playing a role in the Tribble Road fire.
Scott said Tribble owned the home, but rented it out. No one was hurt in the fire, though Scott said the tenants lost all of their belongings. He said the victims have since found a new place to live, but he’s unsure of their current condition beyond that.
So far, Scott said, investigators believe the stockyards and Tribble Road fires are the only two connected in the case.
Scott said CCSO conducted interviews for much of the day on Tuesday, and more arrests are coming. He expects additional charges for some of the men who’ve already been arrested.
“Right now we’re kind of honing in some more on where we need to be at on whoever it was that had the sale barn burned,” Scott said. “Our initial investigation believes that somebody paid to have it burned.
“This is arson for hire,” he added. “That’s what it’s turned into.”
Suspects in the case have connections to six counties, and Scott said CCSO is working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies on the investigation.
“This is one of the biggest arson cases I’ve ever dealt with,” Scott said. “It’s tremendous. Everyone is doing a fantastic job picking through it piece-by-piece, trying to get all the information. No one is going to tell the complete truth, so you have to work through the B.S. before you can get to the truth of what really happened.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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