A 57-year-old Worthington man is set to appear in Greene County Superior Court April 25 after he allegedly knocked over a lit candle and pulled a blanket over it, causing a two-story commercial building in Worthington to catch fire on March 29.

Worthington Town Marshal Jacob Gambill arrested Johnny Turpin on April 5 following the March 29 incident at a downtown Worthington building located on the southwest corner of State Road 157 and State Road 67, which is also referred to as Commercial Street.

On March 29 while on duty with the police department, Gambill responded to the scene of the structure fire. Also on the scene was the Worthington Fire Department who required the assistance of several other area fire departments to extinguish the blaze. According to a probable cause affidavit prepared by Gambill, an investigator from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office was called to assist. His finding for the cause of the fire was undetermined.

The following day, Gambill reviewed video footage from the police department’s exterior camera system. According to the probable cause affidavit, at approximately 9:13 p.m. on March 29, video footage showed an individual wearing a blue jacket, blue jeans, gray shirt, and ball cap enter the view of the camera. The individual was walking north on the east side of Commercial Street. Gambill wrote in the probable cause that based on the person’s gate, clothes, and physical stature, he recognized the individual as Turpin. At approximately 9:14 p.m., video footage showed the individual messing with the front door of the building. A short time later, he entered the building and closed the door behind him. At around 9:18 p.m., flames are visible in a window to the left of the front door. At no point does the camera see anyone exit the building.

Gambill forwarded this information to the fire investigator’s office; however, due to multiple fires in the area that required his attention, officers had to delay interviewing Turpin.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Gambill spoke with an employee of the 67 Diner who had a photo of Turpin sitting at a table in the diner with a timestamp of 9:18 p.m. on March 29. In the photo, Turpin was wearing a gray shirt and a ball cap. The employee told Gambill the picture was taken as soon as Turpin sat down.

On April 5, Gambill went to Turpin’s residence to speak with him about the fire. According to the probable cause affidavit, Turpin said he had been at the building earlier in the day, but learned of the fire when he was at home. Turpin alleged he was not out and around town during the time of the fire.

During the interview, Gambill noted that Turpin’s story changed several times. According to the probable cause, Turpin eventually admitted to being in the building to drop off a letter, which Gambill was able to recover. Turpin alleged that while in the building, he intentionally knocked over a candle and pulled a blanket over the flame before exiting. He demonstrated that with a radio and a piece of paper on the floor of the interview room. According to the probable cause affidavit, Turpin told Gambill he intended for the blanket to catch fire but denied intending to catch the building on fire. He denied attempting to stop the fire.

Turpin was transported to Greene County Jail where his bond was set at $15,000 surety with 10% cash allowed. He was released after posting $1,500. He will appear in court on April 25. He faces a Level 4 Felony of arson damage by fire where the pecuniary loss is at least $5,000.