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Sylva woman arrested on arson charges
By Derek Hodges
A Sylva woman was arrested Oct. 14, on charges of first-degree felony arson in connection with an Oct. 13 fire at a Sylva apartment complex.
Sylva firefighters were called to the Nathan-Nikole Apartments around 9:30 p.m. Oct. 13. The Savannah and Cullowhee Departments were asked to provide back-up.
According to Detective Shannon Ashe of the Sylva Police Department, firefighters arrived on the scene to find a small fire in Apartment H, which had been rented to Nancy Carr. After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters called Ashe to investigate.
“They saw some things that they thought were suspicious, and I thought it seemed suspicious, too,” Ashe said.
Ashe obtained a warrant and searched Carr’s home.
“Due to physical evidence and items seized, we strongly believe it was arson,” Ashe said.
According to the search warrant, Ashe found several candles on the living room floor that had been left burning, causing the blaze. A power strip had been positioned near the candles.
“Once I observed this, the fire appeared to be intentionally set,” Ashe wrote in the warrant.
Carr was not home at the time of the incident. She had received an eviction notice shortly before the fire and was scheduled to appear in small claims court on the summary ejection notice Oct. 19. Ashe would not say if he suspected the attempted arson was related to the impending eviction.
Carr is out of jail after posting a $50,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on the arson charge on Nov. 8.
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