Walker County, Ga., officials followed a trail of blood from a car crash site around 1 a.m. Friday to find a fire at Sunnyside Baptist Church, about three-quarters of a mile away, Sheriff Steve Wilson said.
Wilson said a strange series of events led to the arrest of Brandon Dale Harris, 20, of LaFayette, on charges of arson to a place of worship, motor vehicle theft, burglary second degree and a probation violation.
Wilson said that, sometime around 1 a.m., Harris crashed a mosquito-spraying truck on Round Pond Road near LaFayette High School. He had stolen the truck from the residence of a Catoosa County government employee, the sheriff said. Wilson said it appears he drove off the road, and the vehicle rolled over several times.
From there, Wilson said, it seems a bleeding Harris found his way up to Sunnyside Church, where he broke in through a window. Once inside, Harris told officials, he took down the curtains to clean up the blood on his hands and arms, then set those curtains on fire in order to "destroy the blood," Wilson said.
"He did it four times, if he did it," Wilson said, noting that the fire had four points of origin.
When the officers arrived at the church, the intruder was gone, Wilson said. It took firefighters about three hours to put out the blaze.
Sometime around 3 a.m., some men sitting in the Sunnyside Church parking lot saw a man riding a bicycle south on Round Pond Road. Simultaneously, Wilson said, two deputies were driving north on Round Pond Road. When an officer noticed the cyclist, he turned around to follow him.
Wilson said Harris sped away on the stolen bicycle and eventually abandoned it, causing the two deputies to pursue him on foot behind LaFayette High School. There he was cornered and arrested.
Harris is now in custody, and Wilson said he will not be given bond since he had previously violated his probation.
"It's pretty wild," Wilson said, of the series of events.
The sheriff said the church sustained heavy damage. He also said Harris appeared extremely intoxicated at the time officers arrested him.
Contact staff writer Hannah Smith at hsmith@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6731.