Arson suspect in custody, charged with Stonehaven Dr. fire
By JOHN A. WINTERS
john@newnan.com
The man accused of setting his mother's house on fire last week in the Shenandoah neighborhood has been arrested.
James Leon Taylor, 33, was discovered at an Atlanta homeless shelter by his family, according to Major Jimmy Yarbrough with the Coweta County Sheriff's Office. They brought him to the Coweta County Jail about 3 a.m. Tuesday, where Taylor was charged with first degree arson and criminal damage to property.
According to authorities, Taylor was at home with his mother prior to the fire. At some point he asked her to take him to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. As they neared the airport, Taylor asked his mother to pull over and let him out.
"She then said something about going back home and he said something along the lines of "no you're not, I set the house on fire,'" Yarbrough said.
The woman called the Newnan Police Department, which in turn called the Coweta County Fire Department. Firefighters were already on the scene by that time.
