RISON - Two women from Rison and one man from Warren have been arrested and charged with three felonies each related a burglary and subsequent fire at the Rison One Stop convenience store during the early morning hours of June 11.
Chief Deputy Gary Young said Heidi Cash, 46, and Kristal Kirkpatrick, 42, both of Rison, along with Justin Wright, 37, of Warren, were all arrested and charged over the past week with commercial burglary, theft of property, and arson.
Commercial burglary and theft of property are both Class C felonies punishable by three to 10 years in prison and a fine not to exceed $10,000. Arson is a Class Y felony punishable by 10 to 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $25,000.
Alan Parnell, fire chief for the Rison Fire Department, reported that his department responded to a call at 5:03 a.m. Sunday, June 11, at the Rison One Stop located at the corner of Magnolia (Hwy. 35) and Pine Street in Rison. He said they were able to access the fire through the back door of the business, but the fire had destroyed the inside of the (continued from page 1) building before it could be extinguished.
Parnell said it appeared the fire had been burning for some time by the time firefighters arrived. He described the interior of the building as a total loss.
Young said the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department determined that some items had been taken from inside the store before the fire, which prompted an investigation by the sheriff's department.
Early in the investigation, Young three suspects were developed.
On June 13, he said investigators arrested Cash, who was a former employee of the store. The next day on June 14, Kirkpatrick, a current employee of the store, was arrested. Both Cash and Kirkpatrick appeared before Judge Tom Wynne on the afternoon of June 14 for a first appearance. Their bond was set at $20,000 each.
Both Cash and Kirkpatrick were released on bond and wil...
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