ANNVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — A woman has been federally charged with arson of property affecting interstate commerce after she allegedly set the historical landmark Lincoln Hall in Jackson County on fire, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint detailed that at around 11:30 p.m. on July 30, Jackson County 911 received a call regarding a fire at Lincoln Hall, located on the campus of Grace Covenant Ministries in Annville.
Upon arrival, fire crews worked to contain the fire at Lincoln Hall. The complaint added that units were able to suppress the fire, however, the building was destroyed and the roof had collapsed onto the lower floor.
The complaint read that investigators "suspected it could be arson." Investigators then conducted an interviews with the wife of the groundskeeper for Grace Covenant Ministries, identified as Shelia Clemons, at around 5 a.m. on July 31.
Clemons told investigators that she went to see her husband on the campus where he resided. She then claimed that she left and went to get gas that night, before ultimately arriving at her mom's house by 10:15 p.m.
Investigators obtained a surveillance video at a facility in the area that showed a vehicle, reportedly owned by Clemons, in a parking lot facing Lincoln Hall.
Clemons was interviewed again at around 8 a.m. on July 31 and admitted to being there for a short time to text her son, further stating that she didn't leave her vehicle. The complaint stated that Clemons denied setting the fire.
According to the complaint, investigators found contradictions in Clemons' story based on extensive interviews with employees at the facility where the surveillance footage was obtained, along with individuals with ties to Lincoln Hall.
Investigators further interviewed Clemons who admitted that she started the fire with a lighter. The complaint read that Clemons said "she lit paper inside the building by reaching through the window to start the fire."
According to a report, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrested Clemons and she has been charged in the Eastern District of Kentucky with arson of property affecting interstate commerce.
