PICKENS COUNTY MAN ARRESTED FOR ARSON

ATLANTA – On November 7, Investigators with the Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office assisted with the arrest of
Tyler Jose Suarez, 23, of Jasper, Georgia, with 1 Count of First Degree Arson. The charge stems from his alleged
involvement in setting fire to a building that housed a restaurant he owned, Bee’s Home Cooking. Mr. Suarez was
booked into the Pickens County Jail and has already posted bond.

“People who deliberately set fire to a structure, whether it be for insurance money or revenge, will be arrested and
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Any form of arson will not be tolerated in this state,” said Safety Fire
Commissioner John F. King. “Not only does arson put lives in danger, it causes insurance premiums to rise and
hardworking Georgians to suffer.”

The 3,698 square-foot building suffered moderate damage to the interior. It was built in 1986, but has only housed
Bee’s Home Cooking since January. No one was inside at the time of the fire. Investigators believe that this is an
isolated incident and not related to the other restaurant fire that occurred in Pickens County in early October.
Investigators with the Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office are assisting the Jasper Fire Department, Jasper Police
Department, and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office with this investigation.

First Degree Arson is a felony punishable by a fine of no more than $50,000 or by a prison term between one and
twenty years, or both.