Five men, Colin Gwinn, Bryan Libourel, Stone Matheson, Brandon Nino, and Lanier Brooking, have been arrested on the following charges:
These charges faced by all five men come after an alleged video circulated on Facebook showing the five allegedly getting drunk and setting a fire to a vacant home in Coweta County.
According to the video, the five can be identified inside the vacant house damaging windows with a chair and using alcohol and lit cigarettes to set fire to a couch in the living room. The flames grew to an estimated fifteen feet, and the mean can be heard on the video cheering and then leaving the scene.
The Coweta County Fire Department had to prepare a fire break in order to stop the flames from spreading and damaging nearby occupied homes.
The Georgia Code divides the criminal offense of arson into three different degrees. In today's post, as a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the three various degrees of arson and the corresponding penalties.
1st Degree Arson in Georgia
The Georgia Code defines 1st degree arson in Georgia as:
A person will be guilty of arson in the first degree when by means of fire or explosive, whether or not in the commission of a felony, he or she knowingly damages or knowingly causes, aids, abets, advises, encourages, hires, counsels, or procures another to damage any dwelling house of another or any building, vehicle, railroad car, watercraft, or other structure of another…
1st degree arson is classified as a felony in the state of Georgia. The penalty can include a prison sentence of one to twenty years, a fine up to $50,000, or both.
2nd Degree Arson in Georgia
The Georgia Code defines 2nd degree arson in Georgia as:
A person will be guilty of arson in the second degree when by means of fire or explosive, whether or not in the commission of a felony, he or she knowingly damages or knowingly causes, aids, abets, advises, encourages, hires, counsels, or procures another to damage…
2nd degree arson is classified as a felony in the state of Georgia. The penalty can include a prison sentence of one to ten years, a fine up to $25,000, or both.
3rd Degree Arson in Georgia
The Georgia Code defines 3rd degree arson in Georgia as:
A person will be guilty of arson in the third degree when by means of fire or explosive, whether or not in the commission of a felony, he or she knowingly damages or knowingly causes, aids, abets, advises, encourages, hires, counsels, or procures another to damage any personal property.
3rd degree arson is classified as a felony in the state of Georgia. The penalty can include a prison sentence of one to five years, a fine up to $10,000, or both.
Practice Note
As a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney, I must point out that not everyone who is arrested for committing a crime is guilty of committing that crime. Wrongful arrests do happen, and sometimes, people are charged with crimes that they have not committed.
We have over 50 years of experience with Georgia Criminal Defenses and are here to help you with your criminal defense needs within the state of Georgia. Therefore, if you or a loved one has been charged with a crime in Georgia, contact us today.
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