CLAY COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) – A Louisville man has been arrested after authorities say he started a fire inside a Dollar General store in Clay County.
Deputies with the sheriff’s office took 44-year-old Woodson Roark into custody on March 3.
The incident occurred on March 1, according to an arrest citation.
Police said they received a report about a fire at the Dollar General on South Highway 421.
When officers arrived, police and fire crews worked together to extinguish the flames. Deputies then spoke with a couple of employees who were working at the time.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage provided by store employees and were able to determine what had happened.
Deputies said Roark allegedly started the fire in the 12th aisle using a butane canister that was not sold by the store.
According to the citation, the fire caused significant damage to the store and some of the merchandise. The incident also forced employees to close the store while cleanup was underway.
After asking for help locating Roark, deputies said they later found him on Belles Fork Road. Officers reported that he had taken an unknown amount of pills at the time of the encounter.
Roark was taken to a hospital before eventually being transported to the Clay County Detention Center.
He faces charges of first-degree arson, first-degree wanton endangerment and first-degree criminal mischief.
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