Nicholas Wade Carter

A man has been arrested in the case of the fire in downtown Knoxville this past week. 18-year-old Nicholas Wade Carter, of Knoxville, has been charged with 2nd Degree Arson. He’s been released on a $10,000 bond.

Sheriff Jason Sandholdt says the investigation was a cooperative effort with many agencies and he’s thankful for their assistance. He especially says he wants to recognize the work of Lt. Justin Kingery. He says Kingery’s experience as a former fire fighter and now as Marion County’s arson investigator was very beneficial during the investigation. Additional charges are pending.

Knoxville Fire Chief Nick Bonstell has released a statement on the arrest. He states: “This should be a clear message to anyone in the City of Knoxville that we will aggressively investigate all fires. We will not tolerate arson.” He went on the say “The cooperation between the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the City of Knoxville was pivotal in this case. Thanks to everyone who worked long and hard on this case.”