A devastating fire that struck at “the heart” of a small Kentucky town when a historic building was destroyed, was set by the former wife of the property’s groundkeeper.
Shelia Clemons, 57, was arrested on Wednesday and federally charged with arson of property affecting interstate commerce, following an ATF and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office investigation.
K105 reported last week that the fire destroyed the Old Annville Institute, erected in 1922 and currently home to Grace Covenant Ministries. The blaze began late on the evening of July 30 and continued well into the next day.
Despite firefighters’ efforts, the “building’s walls collapsed as fire within the main unit continued to spread,” according to a report by WKYT.com.
Pond Creek Fire Chief Jay Gabbard told WKYT.com that the building was “the heart of Annville,” a town of about 1,000 residents.
Director of Grace Coventry Ministries, Chad Demers, in a social media post about the fire and arrest said: “Shelia is the estranged wife of one of our employees at Grace Covenant Ministries.”
Multiple media outlets report that courts documents say the “employee” referred to in the ministry’s social media post is the property’s groundkeeper.
Demers’ full statement on the fire and arrest:
A week ago we lost a building that represented countless memories as well as a vision to reach out to the people of Jackson County with the redeeming love of Jesus Christ.
We want to thank all who have reached out with prayers and words of support from around the community, the county and even from around the country.
The ATF began investigating the fire immediately and has been doing a thorough investigation all week. An arrest was made yesterday afternoon. Shelia Clemmons was arrested and confessed to setting fire to Lincoln Hall. Shelia is the estranged wife of one of our employee at Grace Covenant Ministries. We are all dealing with shock and the sadness of this revelation. We are not able to answer any questions at this moment and ask for understanding as we process this news. Please continue to pray for GCM as we seek God’s wisdom and His will.
May God be glorified, even in this.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
