The former manager of the Dollar General on Smyrna-Ramhurst Road in Murray County charged with setting the building on fire in February 2010 has been sentenced to five years in prison on a lesser charge.
District Attorney Bert Poston said Michael James McGee, 43, of Old Fort, Tenn., pleaded guilty before Judge Cindy Morris in Murray County Superior Court Wednesday to criminal damage to property in the second degree.
“He was sentenced by Judge Morris to serve five years in prison as part of a negotiated plea,” Poston said. “McGee had originally entered a not guilty plea at his arraignment on Oct. 6, 2010.”
McGee was originally charged with first degree arson. Poston said he received the maximum sentence for the criminal damage to property charge. The public defender’s office represented him and didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.
A message left at the state fire marshal’s office, which investigated the fire, wasn’t immediately returned on Thursday.
The inside of the Dollar General building was mostly destroyed, but the building itself was still standing. The 6,500-square-foot store closed after the fire but has since reopened.
McGee told The Daily Citizen on Feb. 15, 2010 that he went in at 4 a.m. that day to work on inventory and faintly smelled smoke after he went inside the building but did not see a fire. He said he then went to his office to take care of paperwork and minutes later saw flames and called 911. He said at the time he was not sure how the fire started.
A message left at Dollar General’s corporate office wasn’t immediately returned.
Local News
August 31, 2012
Former Dollar General manager sentenced to five years
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College bound
Noel Salaices poses next to his picture on the Advanced Placement Scholar wall at Dalton High School. (Matt Hamilton/The Daily Citizen)
Noel Salaices said he has become inspired over the past year to look beyond his circumstances and realize the blessings in his life.
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