MOUNT VERNON — A Knox County grand jury handed down an indictment against William Garlic on Monday, on two counts of aggravated arson and one count of arson.
The charges are in connection with a fire which destroyed Garlic’s home on Granville Road on Aug. 24, 2007. According to Knox County Prosecutor John Thatcher, the aggravated arson charges are first- and second-degree felonies; the arson charge is a fourth-degree felony.
According to a statement released by Thatcher, the first-degree felony charge alleges that Garlic knowingly and by means of fire created a substantial risk of serious physical harm to any person other than himself. Thatcher said this charge is based on the allegation that Garlic started the fire in the dining room with gasoline. As opposed to accidental fires, fires set with ignitable liquids are inherently more dangerous to firefighters because of the risk of explosion and the speed at which set fire spre
The second-degree felony arson charge alleges that the residence at 2168 Granville Road was an occupied structure. Thatcher said that on Aug. 24 at 5:30 a.m., the firefighters who went into the burning house assumed it was occupied and that they were on a lifesaving mission. Although at the time Garlic’s wife was out of town on business and Garlic was not inside the house, Thatcher said the charge only requires proof that the structure was used as a dwelling.
The fourth-degree felony charge alleges that the fire damage exceeded the felony amount of $500. Thatcher said the fire totally destroyed the house, and the loss of property and contents is estimated at $250,000.
An initial investigation conducted by the Knox County Sheriff's Office revealed that Mr. and Mrs. Garlic were experiencing marital difficulties and had decided to get a divorce. In the early morning hours of Aug. 24, Garlic allegedly loaded all of his personal property into his car before setting the fire, according to Thatcher.
Arson investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office did an initial investigation at the fire scene, and forensic testing on evidence taken from the scene at the State Fire Marshall’s laboratory, in August and September. In mid-January, an additional investigation was completed by the special investigative unit of the insurance company that insured Garlic’s property. Thatcher said this investigation included additional laboratory testing and the report of the findings of an expert in the field of dwelling fire analysis.
Passersby initially spotted the fire and called it in to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. Garlic ran to the nearby home of Mike Harsh, who also called in the fire at 5:30 a.m.
Harsh and his wife, Mary Ann, formerly owned and lived in the home for 17 years. The 140-year-old home of Gothic Revival architecture was listed on the National Register of Historic houses.
“We loved living in the house, and it gained recognition on the national register of historic places while we lived in it,” said Mary Ann. “I just don’t want the house to be forgotten, because I’m quite sure it will never be rebuilt."
“The house was well known throughout the state, and the fact that it was destroyed by fire, and the fact that the indictment came down, is sad,” she added.
