Arson and other felony charges have been filed against a Webster County man accused of intentionally burning his home.
The fire, which was reported about 2:45 a.m. Thursday to Webster 911, occurred at 4271 U.S. Hwy. 82 between Grady and Tomnolen. Three engines from the Tomnolen Fire Department responded to the manufactured home fire with mutual aid provided by the Union and Eupora fire departments.
James Daniel Anthony, 49, was booked into the Webster County Jail about 5:30 p.m. Thursday on charges including arson-first degree. Deputy JC Smith alleged in an affidavit that Anthony “willfully and unlawfully and feloniously set fire to an occupied dwelling” at the aforementioned address.
Anthony was also charged with aggravated assault-manifesting extreme indifference to human life and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The assault affidavit Smith filed against Anthony includes the same allegation as that in the arson charge.
Thursday, before his arrest, Anthony posted photos from the fire on his Facebook page, writing that he lost his home last night. In response to a commenter’s question about the possible cause, Anthony replied that “someone burnt it down.”
Justice Court Judge Rebecca Ellison set bond for Anthony at $45,000. However, the arrest docket entry for him stipulates “hold for the state” and he remained in jail as of Monday.
Ellison appointed Public Defender Stephanie Mallette to represent Anthony and he is scheduled to appear in Justice Court on April 9.
The Webster County Sheriff's Department, in a social media post, thanked the state Fire Marshal’s Office and Webster County Fire Investigator Barry Rushing for their assistance in the investigation. Anthony faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the arson charge.
In an unrelated case, Rushing confirmed that a woods fire reported about 5:20 p.m. Sunday on Green Door Road is also under investigation by the fire investigator's office. He said the fire burned underbrush. The Mississippi Forestry Commission and Eupora and Tomnolen fire departments responded.
