On Friday, Haralson County resident Jason Allen Alexander pleaded guilty to two counts of arson and burglary in Haralson County Superior Court.

Alexander, who has also been convicted of arson in Carroll County, turned himself in to the U.S. Marshals Service this past spring after evading police for months. Alexander, 30, admitted to setting a fire that destroyed the newly built home of Nelson Katon in December 2006 and the log vacation home of Renae Wright in April of 2005.

Alexander was sentenced to 30 years, six of which he will serve behind bars and the remainder on probation. He was also ordered to pay restitution to his victims.

“It just doesn’t seem like enough,” Katon said.

Katon, whose Rainey Lake Home was destroyed by Alexander, says that he lost more than a home - he lost a sense of security.

“I expected that to be the last place I would live,” he said. “I wanted to rebuild, but my daughter felt too scared to even let my grandkids visit there.”

Katon is considering selling the property.

Before Katon’s home was set on fire, building materials, a dish washer, water heater, toilet and other times were stolen. The items were recovered at a private residence; its owner is still under investigation.

Renae Wright had never laid eyes on Alexander before his log cabin in Northeast Haralson County was torched.

Wright had worked for years to build the cabin and had hope it would be something he could hand down to future generations.

“I don’t understand why anyone would do what (Alexander) did,” Wright said.

Like the Katon residence, before Alexander torched Wright’s property, he stole some of his belongings.

“Taking items is one thing, but to completely destroy someone’s property, I will never understand that,” Wright said. He did not have insurance on the property, which he called a “total loss.”

Wright said he was grateful to the Haralson County fire investigators.

“I hope we can now put all of this behind us,” he said.

In March, Alexander and his sister, Amanda Mapp, pled guilty to arson in Carroll County Superior Court. He was given 15 years probation and was ordered to pay more than $80,000 in restitution.

“I want to commend our investigation division for the hard work they put into investigating these fires,” Haralson County Fire Chief Brian Walker said.

Walker said that investigation was a joint effort involving the Haralson County Fire Department, Georgia State Fire Marshal, Haralson County Sheriff’s Office and Haralson County district attorney’s office.

“We really can’t do these things alone,” he said.

Walker said the arrest of Alexander and the 30-year sentence handed down sent out a message.

“This shows that arson will not be tolerated,” he said.

Arson fires account for nearly 500,000 fires annually, according to the National Fire Protection Agency, and is the largest cause of property damage in the United States. However, only 2 percent of arsons result in convictions.

Those with information regarding arson can call the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 1-800-282-5804 or the Haralson County fire investigators at 770-646-2036

Georgia Arson Control rewards up to $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.