Regina Thabit, 52, was charged with aggravated arson, a Class A felony, a few days after a Sept. 24 fire on Island Drive. Her 16-year-old nephew told authorities his aunt “just caught the house on fire.”
One of the homeowner’s dogs, a blue heeler, died in the fire. A second dog, a seven-year-old black lab, was rescued by firefighters, but died two weeks later at a Nashville veterinary clinic.
A grand jury charged Thabit on the aggravated arson charge as well as an additional count of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to an indictment issued Dec. 10.
She pleaded not guilty to the charges during an arraignment hearing on Friday, Dec. 18. She is being held in the Sumner County Jail on a $10,000 bond. Court documents also show a fugitive from justice charge, but no bond has been set in that matter.
Rescue personnel were first called to the Island Drive residence as the result of a domestic violence complaint, according to an affidavit filed by Hendersonville Fire Department Inspector Paul Varble. Thabit’s nephew said he didn’t know she was going to set the house on fire, or that she had until the home began to fill with smoke, according to Varble’s statement.
The fire inspector also found the presence of accelerants used to ignite the fire during his investigation, according to the affidavit.
Aggravated arson carries a prison sentence of 15 to 25 years without the possibility of probation or parole, according to Sumner County District Attorney General Ray Whitley.
Aggravated cruelty to animals is a Class E felony with a possible sentence of one to two years, he added.
So burning the house down gets you 15-25 years, but burning a dog to death gets you 1-2 years. Infuriating.
A settlement date has been set for March 31.
(The Tennesseean - Dec 21, 2015)
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