WREG.com

Police: Man charged with arson after setting Tennessee bar on fire with two people asleep inside

Ronnie Clark/ Courtesy of the TBI

LINDEN, Tenn. — A Tennessee man was charged with setting a fire at a sports bar that had two people inside.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that 57-year-old Ronnie Clark was charged with aggravated arson in the fire that damaged the All American Sports Bar in Linden on Monday. His bond was set at $100,000.

WTVF-TV reported that the Perry County Sheriff’s Office says a man and woman were asleep inside the bar when they woke up to the smell of smoke around 4 a.m. Sheriff Nick Weems says those people “are very lucky to be alive.”

Four hours later, authorities told the news agency they had identified Clark as a person of interest in the case. Within the next couple of hours he was taken into custody and charged.It’s unclear how they were able to connect him to the crime.

A Perry County court clerk said Clark’s arraignment is Thursday. Records do not show if he has a lawyer.