Fire victim claims info ignored

A man who lost his Warners Bridge Road home and belongings to fire early Tuesday says a girlfriend intentionally set the blaze.

Johnny Wayne Crowson, 51, claims authorities failed to fully investigate the fire, or an alleged threat by the ex-girlfriend to burn the house, until the next day.

"They said they couldn't investigate because there was no death in the house," Sheryl Lankford, a friend of Crowson's who was with him at the charred remains Thursday, said she was told early Tuesday by a Shelbyville Fire Department employee. "They didn't rope it off until Wednesday afternoon, they put a fire hose on it then."

"The assistant chief said it was a 'misunderstanding,'" Crowson said.

Shelbyville Fire Chief John Habel said an investigation was in progress as of Thursday morning.

"We were notified a little after midnight," Habel said.

"Our investigator was on vacation. It was being investigated this (Thursday) morning. Our fire inspector, assistant chief and the state fire marshal's office were there.

"No one contacted me or came to my office. If there had been an injury or claim of arson we would have been right there."

Crowson told officers an ex-girlfriend left harassing messages on his and his present girlfriend's cell phones Monday night, including one in which she allegedly threatened to burn the house down.

"During the course of a profanity-laced rant I did hear her say that 'the house was gonna be gone'", Lt. Jason Williams of the Shelbyville Police Department said of a message left on Lankford's phone.

"She threatened (over the phone) to burn it down and about 10 or 15 minutes later it burned down," Crowson said.

The woman identified to police by Crowson as the suspect was across the street when emergency personnel arrived, Lt. Jason Williams said.

"I saw the house fully engulfed in flames and in the process of burning down," Lt. Jason Williams of the Shelbyville Police Department said. "A white female was standing outside the residence across the street yelling, 'Johnny.'"

The 54-year-old woman told officers she lived in the burning house and no one was inside.

She allegedly told officers she shared the home with Crowson, who "was at Bedford Manor Apartments with his other girlfriend."

"He said he had been seeing both (the suspect) as well as another woman, who was at the police department, and (the suspect) had become jealous," Williams said.

Bedford County Emergency Medical Service personnel checked the suspect at the scene.

"She was visibly upset about the house burning," Williams said.

Crowson repairs cars at his home. "We lost two (customers') cars and a truck. Another car suffered fire damage to the front end."

The home was uninsured, Crowson said.

Jars for donations sought by Crowson are at West Lane Market, West Lane Street, and D & T Market, Madison Street. Crowson can be reached at (931) 492-2345.