Trio Indicted On Arson Charges

Huntsville, TN (2011-04-01) Three people have been indicted in connection with the attempted arson of a Winfield tavern.

On Tuesday, March 29, 2011, a Scott County Grand Jury indicted Walter Scott Hutson, 50, of Huntsville, Kenneth Wesley Hammock, 40, of Oneida and Loretta Sue Vick, 55, of Oneida on charges of arson and conspiracy.

On Thursday, a multijurisdictional police force of agents from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Oneida and Winfield Police Departments arrested the trio, ending a five month investigation into a blaze that was allegedly intended to burn down the Wooden Nickel tavern in Winfield.

On October 29, 2010, Winfield Police Department Investigator Brad Lay, while on patrol near the Tennessee / Kentucky state line, reportedly discovered two small fires in front of the Wooden Nickel tavern. Further investigation allegedly revealed flames were also coming from the rear of the structure. After notifying the Winfield Fire Department, Lay beat back the flames with a fire extinguisher from his patrol car. By the time the tank was exhausted, Assistant Chief Robert Reed arrived on scene. He likewise battled the blaze with a fire extinguisher, which helped suppress the fire until the fire department arrived. Once on the scene, the fire department quickly doused the flames.

Once the fire was extinguished, Lay allegedly found two jars in front of each of the front entrance doors. Both jars were reportedly burnt black and smelled of an accelerant. Lay reportedly further detected a strong smell of an accelerant near the location of the fire at rear of the building and from a crawl space at the back of the structure. The odor was also allegedly observed near an outside air conditioning unit.

As result of the initial findings, arson investigators from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Bomb and Arson division joined local authorities, who launched an in-depth inquiry into the fire.

After months of investigation, authorities presented evidence to a Grand Jury on Tuesday, which charged Hutson, Hammock and Vick.

On Thursday, Special Agent William Barker, Jr., and Special Agent Daniel Foster, joined Lay, Reed, Chief Steve Trammell of the Winfield Police Department, and Oneida Police Officer Gerry “Greasey” Garrett in arresting the trio. Hutson and Hammock were both booked for arson and conspiracy and placed under a $30,000 secure bond. Vick was likewise charged with the same offense, but was released on her own recognizance.

All three will be arraigned on Monday, April 4, 2011.