A Spartanburg County, South Carolina woman is now out on $15,000 bond after being charged this week with the October 22, 2013 fire that destroyed parts of her home.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Department describes how Gina Campsen arranged to have her Chandler Downs Trail home in Boiling Springs set on fire. Back in October, only David Freeman and Joann Kennedy were arrested and charged with burglary, grand larceny and arson charges.
A 13 page arson report by investigators found several small fires had been set throughout the home. They found fire damage on one bed that extended to the walls. An extra bedroom suffered damage, as well as a child’s bedroom, where small piles of clothes were found burns.
Apparently Campsen allegedly gave permission to Freeman and Kennedy to remove anything they wanted, since insurance would cover any damage. Four television sets, some artwork and two computers were removed from the home, but have been recovered. Campsen has been charged with arson and insurance fraud.
Now for the cat. It was Campsen’s cat who eventually broke the case, because the cat wasn’t in the home at the time of the fire. Investigators say the homeowner told the others to burn down her home so she could collect the insurance money.
Campsen was out of town when the incident occurred. The cat survived the fire, because someone took the family cat from the home and dropped it off with Campsen’s father. This led investigators to believe whoever committed the crime had inside knowledge of the family.
It’s nice to know someone thought to get the cat to safety before setting the home on fire. It’s just a shame this cat will likely become the biggest victim of all, because if Campsen is convicted, she may be incarcerated for a very long time. People should learn to be happy with what they’ve got.
I’d be in the frontline against animal haters and abusers, but insurance fraud, I wouldn’t know where to start, wasted my life being honest 🙁