The Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office recently thanked Jordan Castillo who assisted them in a February arson case.
Kimberlie Ledsinger with Hall County Fire said Castillo was returning home from work when he witnessed a man leave a home that was on fire.
He called 911 and recorded the situation on his cell phone. The Hall County Sheriff's Office and fire marshal’s office used the video and Castillo’s description of the man to make an arrest on the same day.
“Mr. Castillo recognized the extreme situation that he was presented with and was able to remain calm and provide investigators with accurate and beneficial information,” Lt. Cacey Henderson, an investigator with the Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office said.
Investigators arrested Stephen Wesley Barfield, just hours after the fire on Athens Highway southeast of Gainesville that injured one person.
Fire marshal’s office investigators nominated Castillo for a reward provided by Georgia Arson Control, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting arson by encouraging individuals to report information about incidents of arson.
The investigation was a joint effort between fire marshal’s investigators Deputy Fire Marshal JR Tucker, Lt. Cacey Henderson, and Lt. Wayne Whaley and Hall County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Eric Shaw.
