by Al Summers
News Editor
alsummers@timescourier.com
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Gilmer County detectives recovered the ingredients for a methamphetamine lab while investigating a case of arson and burglary.
Gilmer County firefighters responded to a house fire early Thursday morning, May 20, in the vicinity of Whitestone, only to discover the fire had been intentionally set.
Det. Ricky Henry arrested two suspects who had been identified on the scene as the ones who started the fire. Jonathon Wolf, 18, of Cumming, and Samuel Boren, 23, of Chatsworth, were arrested and charged with arson.
Henry and Det. Michael Mabry launched an investigation and determined the house had been burglarized, upgrading the charges against Wolf to include burglary. Ingredients for making methamphetamine was also discovered in the rubble. Agents from the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) was brought into the investigation because the fire had been started with a type of “fire bomb.” Agents from the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway Drug Task Force were called in to handle the drug ingredients.
A search warrant was obtained for a house near Talking Rock, where some to the stolen property had been spotted. At that residence, Charles Giles, 54, was arrested and charged with theft by receiving and conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine.
Also arrested in the case were Kimberly Johnson, 42, of Cumming, and Brooke Corwin, 17, of Cumming, and Michael Reed, 24, also of Cumming. Johnson was charged with burglary and theft by receiving. Corwin was charged with burglary. Reed was charged with burglary and arson.
The ATF agents also placed a hold on Wolf, Reed, and Giles, due to the nature of the crime. They could face federal charges.