Officer's House Burned by Arsonist after Argument

MARSHALLVILLE, GA (AP) -- Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine said he was appalled by an arson fire that destroyed the home of a Marshallville police officer -- the second such case in nearly two years.

Monday's fire was the second time an arsonist had burned down the house of a law enforcement official in the small town southwest of Macon. An arsonist looted and torched Police Chief Stephen Stewart's home in Jan. 2006, hours after a man died in police custody.

"We cannot allow anybody on the street to lash out at the foundation of the entire society," Oxendine said. "The foundation of our entire society is law enforcement."

Officer David Nichols, 48, had been testifying in traffic court Monday about citations when some people became upset. Hours later, the officer's home was set on fire, Oxendine spokesman Glenn Allen said. No one was home at the time of the fire, Allen said.

But officer Nichols and Chief Stewart are convinced the fire was connected to the earlier dispute in the courtroom. Municipal Judge Randy Wynn did not cite anyone with contempt of court but the courtroom unrest and the fire were too close together to be a coincidence, Stewart said.

Oxendine's office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Last year, a grand jury declined to indict two former police officers in the Jan. 19, 2006, death of Clarence "Clint" Walker. Walker, 48, died after police officers Anthony Taylor and Brandon Williams tried to arrest him on charges of parole violation, simple battery and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Anger over the death prompted what some have called a riot in Marshallville and the torching of the police chief's home.

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