Hate crime victim: Arson was ‘bad Lifetime movie’

It’s been a week since someone threatened 43-year-old Chris Staples by throwing a rock wrapped with death threats and anti-gay slurs through a window and then returned early Sunday morning and set his home on fire with him asleep inside.

Investigators from several agencies, with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office coordinating the effort, have been working overtime to find out who is responsible. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to arrests and convictions in the case from the Georgia Arson Control Program in the Georgia State Insurance Commissioners office.

Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation joined Georgia State Patrol, Carroll County and Carrollton officers in talking with Staples’ neighbors on Alvin Drive as they work to shake something loose in the case.

Carroll County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Shane Taylor said they are getting some information, but said an arrest is not imminent at the time.

Staples said he has been drained and his emotions seem to go from tired, to mad, to puzzled with each passing hour.

“This whole thing is like I’m watching a really bad Lifetime movie – the bad thing is that as I’m watching, I be dog if I’m not smack dab in the middle of it,” Staples said. “It really doesn’t seem real.”

Staples said he has been so busy trying to figure out everyday logistics of where he will live, sleep and what he will do long term has kept him occupied. He said when he slows down the realization starts to settle in.

“I know it happened, you look out there at my place and you see that,” Staples said. “But the severity of it hasn’t hit me. The fact that someone threw a rock through my window, told me they were going to kill me and then tried to do it is what doesn’t seem possible. I hear that whoever did this could get life in prison and I think, no way. But then my friends are like ‘Dude, someone tried to burn you alive.’ I mean, I still can’t grasp the thought of that. Why? I just don’t understand.”

Georgia is one of five states that do not have hate crimes statutes. If an arrest is made, it could be prosecuted as a federal hate crime under the Matthew Shepard Act on behalf of a gay victim.

Taylor said that determination will be made later; right now the top priority is finding the person responsible. He said they have been in contact with federal prosecutors and the FBI has been very generous in lending resources and expertise in this investigation.

“Right now we don’t have anything new, but we still have a number of things we are looking at,” Taylor said. “Someone knows who is responsible and we hope that they will come forward and help us.”

Anyone with information about the case can call the state’s arson hot line at 1-888-282-5804. Information can also be shared with Investigator Tony Reeves at 770-830-5880.

Staples said the support has been incredible and has come from all over the world. He said that when others try to suggest that Carroll County is a bad place because of this, he is quick to defend his hometown.

“I’ve lived here my whole life and this is the first problem I’ve ever had like this,” Staples said. “The people here have been great to me. I can’t say enough about the way the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office has handled this. They are working hard, have been so diligent, understanding and respectful. They came out here with a show of force the other night and that meant a lot to me.

“One of them told me that they were going to catch who did this because people like this give the area a bad name. I believe that they will.”
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