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A Rockbridge Circuit Court jury on Wednesday found Jermale Fitz of Glasgow guilty of destruction of property, a Class III misdemeanor, but not guilty of arson and statutory burglary in the fire that destroyed a historic farmhouse in Glasgow last year.
The fire destroyed the Echols Farmhouse, which dates to 1855, near the intersection of U.S. 501 and Virginia 130, on Jan. 16, 2022.
According to testimony, Fitz suffers from severe mental illnesses including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and post traumatic stress disorder, and has a history of substance abuse. He claimed that he was being chased by a group of men trying to kill him and that he sought refuge in the Echols House, which he believed to be abandoned. Once inside, he set fire to blankets in the hopes of sending smoke signals for help. After Fitz’s departure from the scene, the flames decimated the structure.
His attorneys argued that Fitz was not in his right mind at the time of the fire as he was off his prescribed medications and had consumed copious amount of methamphetamine. Defense attorneys Jessica Armstrong and Samuel Thomas claimed the result of the fire was simply an accident as Fitz was “scared, he [thought he] was being followed, and he wanted help.” In the end, the jury apparently agreed that his actions did not have malicious intent.
A sentencing date has been scheduled for March 21. More details about the one-day trial will be found in the March 1 print edition of The News-Gazette.
