Crawford County man arrested on arson charges

A 33-year-old Crawford County man was arrested on wildland arson charges in relation to a series of suspicious fires that occurred in late November.

Matthew DeFore was arrested Wednesday by Georgia Forestry Commission law enforcement officers. DeFore is charged with six counts of arson of lands in connection with a series of fires in Crawford County that occurred from Nov. 22-29, according to a news release from the Crawford County Sheriff's Office.

Bond was set at $50,000.

In Georgia, arson of lands is a felony offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The sheriff's office started examining suspicious fires in the Lower Hartley Bridge area in May, and 31 arson fires have been ignited in the vicinity over the last six months, according to the news release.

The investigation into the additional fires is ongoing.

Anyone with additional information concerning the fires in Crawford County is asked to call the Georgia Forestry Commission at 1-800-428-7337 or the Crawford County Sheriff's Office at 836-3116.

To contact writer Laura Corley, call 744-4334 or follow her on Twitter @Lauraecor.

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 9:11 PM with the headline "Crawford County man arrested on arson charges."