JACKSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man is facing a number of charges, including arson and reckless endangerment, as the result of an investigation into a motel fire in Jackson County from last year.

According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), the agency’s fire investigators joined members of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Jackson County Central Volunteer Fire Department to investigate a structure fire that took place at the Highway 56 Motel on S. Grundy Quarles Highway in Bloomington Springs on May 13, 2022.

Jacob Steven Flatt (Source: TBI)

After determining the fire was incendiary, agents said they identified Jacob Steven Flatt of Sparta, as the person responsible for setting the fire.

More than 11 months after launching the investigation, officials said the Jackson County Grand Jury returned indictments on Monday, April 17, charging 21-year-old Flatt with the following offenses:

  • One count of aggravated arson
  • One count of vandalism
  • One count of aggravated burglary
  • One count of theft
  • Ten counts of reckless endangerment

Following his arrest on Wednesday, April 19, Flatt was reportedly booked into the Jackson County Jail on a $150,000 bond.