Georgia woman sentenced to 10 years for setting fire to her couch

August 14, 2019
1 min read
Georgia woman sentenced to 10 years for setting fire to her couch

ELLIJAY — A 37-year-old Ellijay woman has been sentenced to 10 years in jail after prosecutors say she set fire to her living room couch while someone else was in the home.

Nora Patricia Richardson was recently sentenced to ten years in prison with five to serve for setting the January fire.

“Richardson set the fire to a couch in her living room. Another individual was inside the home at the time the fire originated. Luckily, that individual was able to escape unharmed,” said Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King. “However, Mrs. Richardson’s blatant disregard for human safety should serve as a reminder; arson will not be tolerated and criminals found guilty of arson will be punished to the full extent of the law.”

The fire that started and ended in the living room of the single-wide mobile home located in in Ellijay was extinguished before fire personnel arrived. Richardson was located a short time later. The home suffered minimal damage during the fire.

In April, Richardson was indicted by the Grand Jury in Gilmer County. Richardson was then found guilty on one count of Arson and one count of Criminal Damage to Property. An investigator with the Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office assisted the Gilmer County Fire Department and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office with this investigation.

Second Degree Arson is a felony punishable by a fine of no more than $25,000 or by a prison term between one and ten years, or both.

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