Georgia state fire marshal, Alan Shuman, left, LaFayette Police director Tommy Freeman, center, and Sgt. Stacey Meeks, speak during a news conference about the arrest of Marvin Chase on Wednesday. Chase is suspected to have started more than twenty arson incidents over the past five years.LAFAYETTE, Ga. - A former LaFayette volunteer firefighter sat handcuffed and blank-faced Wednesday as a judge read an arson charge against him.
Police believe 33-year-old Marvin Chase, who began volunteering with the city fire department in 2005, is a serial arsonist responsible for setting a slew of fires in vacant houses in the last five years.
"He was getting a thrill out of" setting these fires, said Sgt. Stacey Meeks, lead investigator on the case with the LaFayette Police Department.
While Chase has been charged with only one count of arson, for a fire on Ryan Road, Meeks said police hope to have enough evidence to indict him on about 20 counts when the grand jury meets in January.
Meeks said that Chase was interviewed Tuesday and admitted setting many fires in the last five years, mostly with gasoline.
Volunteer firefighters are paid a small amount for each structure fire they respond to, Meeks said. But he said Chase told investigators he mainly "just liked fighting fires."
State Fire Marshal Alan Shuman said Chase matches the description of a serial arsonist -- someone who sets fires just for enjoyment.
"Serial arsonists never give up," he said. "This isn't the first volunteer firefighter that we've arrested for doing arsons. We take it very serious."
In the last 11 years, Georgia has arrested and convicted more than 25 firefighters for arson charges, Shuman said.
On Wednesday afternoon, Chase's family members watched as Walker County Magistrate Sheila Thompson read the charge in the county jail's small courtroom and set a $10,000 bond. Family members later declined to comment.
By Wednesday evening, Chase had posted bond and was released from the Walker County Jail, a detention officer said.
Setting fire to abandoned houses in LaFayette has been common off and on for decades, Public Safety Director Tommy Freeman said. He said it started up again five years ago, about the same time Chase started with the department.
About 95 percent of the fires were started in the Linwood area, which used to be a mill town before being absorbed into the city.
Every time one of the abandoned buildings caught fire, which occurred about 30 times in the last five years, Chase was usually the first firefighter on the scene, Freeman said.
Chase's behavior was suspicious, but nothing happened until several people called the local police tip line saying that Chase had told them what he was doing, Freeman said.
Chase also worked for the city's Water, Wastewater and Sewerage Department, Freeman said.
Chase went through a background check similar to every volunteer and paid firefighter when he started volunteering, Freeman said. The only blot on his record was a family violence charge for which he was never convicted, Freeman said.
Shuman said the state requires background checks and training for all volunteers.
When it comes to understanding why someone sets fires, "who knows what the motives are?" he asked. "You just don't know."
Contact staff writer Joy Lukachick at 757-6659 or jlukachick@timesfreepress.com.