State v. Payne

BRYANT, Judge.

Defendant Jess Paul Payne owned and lived in a house located at 118 Country View Road in Statesville, North Carolina. Sometime immediately prior to 2:41 a.m. on 1 February 1997, a fire raged through defendant’s house resulting in substantial damage to the front right portion of the structure. According to the State’s expert in the cause and origin of fires, the fire originated in the living room and was started by use of an ignitable accelerant.

At 9:15 a.m. on the same date, defendant filed a report with the Iredell County Sheriff’s Department claiming that firearms and a 1987…