Instead of being dead or undergoing treatment for serious burns 34-year-old Charles Benjamin Franklin IV of Buna is instead in the Jasper County Jail following a bizarre episode that is said to have occurred late Friday afternoon.
Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard said officers dispatched to Franklin's home just off of Highway 96, near Buna shortly after 4:00 to serve a warrant on Franklin who was accused of trying to set his girlfriend on fire just three days ago.
Havard said that as the officers arrived at the home Franklin barricaded himself in his home and poured gasoline all over his body and the house.
Havard and others begged for some time for Franklin to come out and give himself up. However, deputies along with State Troopers ended up forcing their way into the home as the man set a fire in the living room.
Officers were able to wrestle Franklin to the ground and quickly extinguished the fire, barely avoiding what could have been a total disaster and resulting in only minor injuries to the suspect.
Havard said Franklin was treated at the scene and then transported to jail.
Sheriff Havard thanks the various law enforcement agencies that assisted JCSO, along with the Buna Volunteer Fire Department.
Havard said following the incident, "We are very thankful that none of our law enforcement, first responders or the suspect sustained any significant injuries."
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