Fire at Friendship Baptist Church ruled arson, Perry man charged
HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. -- Houston County investigators say the fire at Friendship Baptist Church was arson and authorities have arrested a 37-year-old an in connection with the crime.
According to the sheriff's office, Issac Demorreo Lester, of Perry, is charged with one count of arson and is being held without bond at the Houston County Detention Center.
Investigators say Lester set fire to the church early in the morning on December 22. The church is on Hodge Rd. in south Houston County, in the unincorporated community of Henderson.
Lester was already in custody for an unrelated battery charge from an incident on December 26.
Anyone with information in this ongoing investigation is asked to call Chief Investigator William Smith with the Houston County Fire Department at 478-542-2040.
You can also call Sgt. Greg Pennycuff, lead investigator at the Houston County Sheriff's Office, at 478-218-4790, or 478-542-2080.
