A northeast Georgia man has been arrested in connection with a fire at a wood cabin that left a woman dead Saturday morning.
The woman was discovered inside the cabin on Yonah Post Road in Alto after the fire broke out about 6:45 a.m., according to Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black. Her body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab to make a determination on cause of death.
Hours later, deputies arrested Jeramy Ray Chastain following a traffic stop. He has been charged with criminal trespass and making false statements in the case, Habersham sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Matt Wurtz told AJC.com.
Wurtz said Chastain has not been charged in connection with the fire, but he could face additional charges pending the results of the GBI’s autopsy. The Clarkesville man had been in an “on-and-off relationship” with the victim, he said.
Her name is not being released until her family is notified.
According to the sheriff’s office, the fire is being investigated as an arson. The state fire marshal’s office was expected to make a final determination on cause.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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