Augusta man charged with arson in apartment fire

Apr. 14--An Augusta man has been charged in an April arson case.

Robert Lee Marion, 60, was charged with one count of arson in the first degree and one count of burglary in the first degree. According to the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner's Office, Marion was involved in setting fire to a bedroom in an apartment complex off Fayetteville Drive in Augusta on April 8.

Augusta Fire crews responded to Azalea Park apartments around 9:30 p.m. and took an hour to get he fire under control. According to the fire department, seven apartment units suffered damage and multiple people were displaced. No injuries were reported.

"The suspect allegedly broke into the second-floor apartment and set the fire in one of the bedrooms. The apartments on the first floor of the complex suffered water damage while the second-floor adjacent apartments suffered moderate smoke damage," Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King said in a release. "Marion remains in the Charles B. Webster Detention Center awaiting a bond hearing."

Marion was already at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center facing separate charges, according to the release.

The Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner's Office assisted the Augusta Fire Department and Richmond County Sheriff's Office in the investigation.

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