Arson in Watkinsville?

It stinks to return to blogging with bad news.

But the news about the attempted arson of officer William Horton's home in Watkinsville is too maddening to ignore. While apparently damage to the home itself was minimal (although his truck was totaled), this action is reprehensible.

There are lots of links and some conjecture out there, but I just want to say that Officer Horton is one of our finest Watkinsville Police Officers, and we are glad to have him. Lots of links here, here, here, and here.

As for whoever did this, let's hope the long arm of Chief O'Dillon and the Watkinsville PD grab a hold of them real soon. There is a $10,000 reward for any information leading to arrests in the case.

Update for Parents

There is a man around Athens/Oconee acting odd and staring at young children on various playgrounds in town; he drives a distinctive red and white truck. I have received an e-mail about him from a friend and Johnathan details him here; I also heard from Chief O'Dillon that the Oconee Sheriff's Department spotted him outside a day care center on Daniell's Bridge Road earlier this week and asked him to leave. The Watkinsville Police are on the lookout for this individual as well, particularly around ESP, Harris Shoals Park, and Rocket Field.

While he hasn't broken any laws, this sort of behavior isn't exactly normal. So if you visit local playgrounds, parks, etc. keep your eyes open and report him to the local authorities, who are monitoring him closely. Description of the individual is below:

He is a white male with no hair (shaven) and has a neatly trimmed reddish auburn
mustache and beard. He is driving a smaller red pickup truck with black and white checkered trim on his tailgate and has tons of bumper stickers in the cab window (it almost looks like a toy truck - like a lego truck). The tag is Virginia XVH 8157.