William Marcus Gaskin

DALTON, Ga. — Investigators are hopeful that fires targeting vehicles in an overflow lot of a local car dealership will end after the arrest of a man with a history of arson.

William Marcus Gaskin, 59, of 135 Granger Way-B was charged Saturday by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office with six counts of arson in the first degree (commercial business) and five counts of criminal damage to property in the second degree (business). According to a 2005 article in the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times, Gaskin was convicted of arson in 2005 and was suspected of six other fires along a street where he lived in Brandon, Fla., between November 2003 and July 2004. According to the Florida Department of Corrections website, Gaskin was released from prison in November of 2007.

The fires at the lot at the corner of Dycus Road and Granger Way began on Feb. 18 and continued through Saturday, according to incident reports. The overflow lot is part of Victor’s Auto Sales. Owner Thomas Victor Morgan said seven vehicles were totally destroyed and several others suffered various degrees of damage.

Morgan said he had no idea who Gaskin is and had no prior business contact with him.

“I never knew him,” Morgan said. “He lived within a hundred yards of the lot, but I never met the man. I was very disturbed. I wasn’t worried so much about the cars because it was a storage lot for repos (repossessed cars) and junked cars, but I was so afraid he was going to burn the building down.”

The arrest came after a joint investigation by the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and the Whitfield County Fire Department.

“During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the car fires were intentionally set,” sheriff’s office Capt. Paul Woods said in a statement. “Investigators were able to locate evidence indicating that the suspect … was responsible for setting the fires. Gaskin was arrested on Saturday without incident. Also on (Saturday), a search warrant was executed at Gaskin’s residence. Investigators found additional evidence connecting Gaskin to the crimes.”

Woods didn’t detail the evidence, but the incident report from Saturday noted a video camera in a window overlooking the car lot. Morgan said investigators put video cameras in an apartment complex to try and catch whoever was burning the cars. 

In addition to the fire on Feb. 18, fires were reported at the lot on Feb. 22 and 26 and March 3, 8 and 10.

Gaskin is being held at the county jail without bond.