07-07-17
The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office has charged two juveniles this afternoon following the investigation into the circumstances surrounding a fire on Thursday, July 6, 2017, that destroyed an abandoned mill commonly referred to as the Cateechee Mill.
The Sheriff’s Office first received reports of the structure fire at approximately 1:30pm on Thursday afternoon necessitating the response of multiple fire departments in the effort to extinguish the flames that had fully engulfed the entire facility.
Detectives from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office investigated several leads that ultimately led to two juveniles that have been identified and charged with the intentional setting of the fire.
Both juveniles have cooperated with authorities and the investigation has determined that the fire occurred after a paper document was lit with a cigarette lighter and thrown onto the floor where the fire ultimately was able to grow and spread throughout the structure.
Due to the age of both male, juveniles who are currently between the ages of 8 and 14 years old they have been released to the custody of their parents pending court proceedings that will be scheduled and heard in Family Court for the charges of Arson 3rd Degree and Unlawful Entry into an Enclosed Area.
Sheriff Rick Clark stated…
“Thankfully, no one was physically injured as a result of this incident. The public should not lose sight of the fact that Pickens County is blessed to have a population of adolescents that will one day mature and become outstanding citizens for our communities.
These two kids obviously made a poor choice and they will have to be held accountable for their actions but that does not prevent us from lifting them in prayer in hopes that others will learn from this clear example of poor judgment”.
The Sheriff’s Office does not expect any additional arrests based on the investigation thus far.
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