A TBI investigation into a residential fire in Grundy County in which a dog was killed has resulted in the indictment and arrest of a Beersheba Springs woman.
On June 14, TBI special agent fire investigators joined the Altamont Fire Department and the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department in investigating a fire at a residence on Besstown Road in Beersheba Springs. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that the fire had been intentionally set.
One person and a dog had been inside the home at the time of the ignition. The individual got out of the house, but the dog perished. The investigation identified Melissa Barks as the individual responsible for setting the fire, and indicated that she knew the animal was inside the home at the time the fire was ignited.
In November, the Grundy County Grand Jury returned indictments charging Melissa Kay Barks, 53, with one count each of aggravated arson, arson, and felony cruelty to animals. She was arrested Thursday and booked into the Grundy County Jail on a bond of $75,000.