TARBORO, N.C. (WNCT) — An Edgecombe County man is facing multiple charges after officials said he was involved in incidents where unoccupied homes were set on fire.
Early Saturday, the Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office reported county communications received several calls of unoccupied houses on fire, localized to an area between Pinetops and Tarboro. Deputies responded and learned a vehicle was seen leaving a location where one of the fires was reported.
The vehicle was found and a chase took place that went on for several miles. Officials said the driver then fled the vehicle but was quickly captured.
Charles Wade Newell of Brown Farm Road in Pinetops was charged with five counts of second-degree arson, felony flee to elude, driving while impaired and reckless driving to endanger. He was placed in the Edgecombe County Detention Center under a $510,000 bond.
Assistance was also provided by the Pinetops Police Department, Tarboro Police Department, N.C. Forestry Service, Edgecombe County Emergency Management, responding volunteer firefighters, and the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation.
