Pickens man arrested for arson and fraud
News, Press Release April 7, 2021
ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King announced today that Douglas Eaton, 54, was arrested on charges of 1st Degree Arson and Insurance Fraud. The fire occurred on Sunday, February 7, in Ball Ground. The 1200-square-foot structure was approximately 26 years old.
“It was discovered that the fire occurred in the master bedroom and was intentionally set,” said Commissioner King. “Mr. Eaton then filed an insurance claim in an attempt to procure insurance proceeds as a result of this fire. Our Fire Investigations Division assisted the Pickens County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office on this case.”
Mr. Eaton is being held at the Pickens County Detention Center.
TWO PICKENS COUNTY SUSPECTS ARRESTED FOR VARIOUS CHARGES
Uncategorized April 27, 2020
ATLANTA – Investigators with the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office recently assisted with the
arrest of Jason Fowler, 21, of Jasper, Georgia, for one count of Criminal Damage to Property in the Second Degree,
and Ramona Buchanan, 43, of Jasper, Georgia, for two counts of Arson in the First Degree and two counts of
Felony Conspiracy to Commit a Crime.
The charges stem from the individuals’ alleged involvement in setting fire to two separate Pickens County
residences in late 2019. Fowler was booked into the Pickens County Jail on April 22 and has since bonded out.
Buchanan was booked into the jail on April 23 and remains in custody.
“The first fire occurred in August of 2019 off of Marblehead Road in Marble Hill. The second fire occurred two
months later in October of 2019 off of Pulltight Road in Marble Hill,” said Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
John F. King. “Both fires were set to campers that were being used as primary residences.”
Investigators with the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office assisted the Pickens County Sheriff’s
Office and the Pickens County Fire Department 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 20 years, or both.
The two arrests bring the total number of individuals arrested with the assistance of the State’s Fire Investigations
Unit in 2020 to 32.
PICKENS COUNTY MAN ARRESTED FOR ARSON
News April 22, 2020
ATLANTA – Investigators with the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office recently assisted with the
arrest of William Lanier Cantrell, 47, of Marble Hill, Georgia, for one count of Arson in the First Degree. The
charge stems from his alleged involvement in setting fire to a fifth-wheel camper located off of Old Harbin Road in
Marble Hill on April 20. Cantrell was booked into the Pickens County Jail on April 21, where he remains awaiting a
bond hearing.
“The camper was completely destroyed by this unlawful act and just one day after the fire occurred, the suspect was
apprehended by the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office,” said Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King.
“Inter-agency communication is very important in investigating suspicious fires and finding the individuals
responsible for setting them. Thank you to the local and state investigators who worked together to quickly
apprehended this suspect.”
Investigators with the Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s Office assisted the Pickens County Fire
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.
The arrest brings the total number of individuals arrested with the assistance of the State’s Fire Investigations
Unit in 2020 to 28.