A Stephens man has been charged with arson in Columbia County.
Ryan Evans, 25, was arrested Wednesday after authorities suspected his involvement in two house fires in the county, the Columbia County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
Columbia County Sheriff Mike Lowe said both fires were reported overnight on July 18. The first fire occurred at a home on Columbia Road 49 in Stephens and the second on Columbia Road 440 in Magnolia.
Lowe said “a series of circumstances and information acquired by investigators” led officers to develop Evans as a suspect.
“The investigation was an effort between the Magnolia Police Department, Four Communities Fire Department and the Columbia County sheriff’s office,” the statement from the sheriff’s office said.
Evans appeared Wednesday before Circuit Judge Hamilton Singleton. He is currently being held at the Columbia County jail with bond set at $100,000.