Man faces arson and aggravated assault charges

A local man has been arrested in connection with a series of arson fires that placed a woman and her two grandchildren in danger as they were sleeping late at night, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Insurance Commissioner – State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Stephen Chad Williams, 40, 37 Chaser Drive, Sparks, was arrested on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, and charged with arson, first degree (five counts), aggravated assault (six counts), fraudulent insurance claims, and insurance fraud, according to Sheriff’s Office arrest/booking reports.

Williams also has been charged with burglary, second degree – felony, impersonating a public officer or employee, interference with government property, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, sirens, whistles, or bells violation, theft by taking – misdemeanor (two counts), unauthorized use of wavelength of radio system, and unlawful use of emergency lights, according to booking reports.

According to Cook County Fire Chief Johnny West and Superior Court records, at about 11:10 p.m. Tuesday, July 16, Chaserville, North Cook, and Central Cook Stations were paged out to a storage shed on fire on Chaser Drive.  

Upon arrival, fire personnel found the owner spraying the building with a water hose. Engines 51 and 52 arrived on scene and deployed a 1.5” pre-connect line and extinguished the fire.

Fire personnel removed content from the storage unit to ensure that all fires were out.  

According to warrants taken by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Williams was charged in connection with the arson fire that damaged the shed beside a woman’s occupied residence. 

According to Chief West and court records, at about 11 p.m. Friday, July 19, Chaserville, Central, and North Cook Stations were paged out to another storage shed fire on Chaser Drive.  

Upon arrival, fire personnel found a utility shed on fire that involved content that had started spreading into the ceiling storage area.  

A 1.5” pre-connect line was deployed from Engine 51, and the fire was extinguished. Fire personnel had to make ventilation cuts into the roof to gain access to the content in the upper storage area. All items were removed and extinguished.

According to warrants taken by the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Williams was charged in connection with the arson fire that damaged the shed beside a man’s occupied residence.

According to Chief West and court records, at about 2:40 a.m. Monday, July 22, Chaserville, North Cook, and Central Cook Fire Stations were paged out to another storage building fire on Chaser Drive.

Upon arrival, fire personnel quickly extinguished the fire with a 1.5” pre-connect line from Engine 52.  

The State Fire Marshal’s Office was notified about this fire, too. The fire was ruled as arson.

According to warrants, Williams was charged with aggravated assault (six counts) in connection with the July 16 and July 22 fires. He allegedly assaulted the woman and her two 12-year-old grandchildren by setting the storage facilities on fire while they were sleeping inside the residence nearby. The offenses could have resulted in “serious bodily injury or death” of the victims, the warrants state.

Also at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, Chaserville, North Cook, and Central Cook Stations were paged out to a woman’s occupied residence on Indigo Lane for a structure fire. Upon arrival, the landlord had extinguished the fire with a water hose. The fire had been set near the back door of the residence.

A State Fire Marshal investigator and investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office were on scene shortly afterwards. A suspect, later identified as Williams, was brought in for questioning, and was later charged and arrested for all of the fires that had been set in the Chaserville area.

Warrants state that Williams filed insurance claims after allegedly setting fire to the storage facilities on July 16 and 19, and “expected to receive funds” as a result of the claims.

On July 25, Cook County Magistrate Judge Ronnie Fender denied bond (pretrial release from jail) for Williams. According to the judge’s order, “the accused poses a significant threat or danger to people and property in the community,” and “the accused poses a significant risk of committing a felony pending trial.” Also, there were pending forthcoming warrants at the time against Williams. (The Adel News will report more information on the case as it becomes available.) The defendant may still seek bond in a hearing before a Superior Court judge.

According to information reported during the first appearance/bond hearing in Magistrate Court, Williams has completed school through the 12th grade and is not employed. The accused has requested a court-appointed defense attorney.

Chief West said that even though the suspect is in custody for the fires in Chaserville, if anyone has any information about these fires, please contact the Cook County Fire Department at (229) 230-1239 or the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at (229) 896-7471.