Grand jury indicts Alabama man in connection to arson in Connersville

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A federal grand jury has indicted an Alabama man for an arson in October in Connersville, Indiana, the U.S. Department of Justice says.

Tommy Lee Harrison Sr., 37, of Birmingham, Alabama, traveled from his home state to Fayette County, Indiana, to commit arson, says a news release issued Thursday by the Justice Department. The indictment, unsealed Thursday, says the arson happened Oct. 28 or 29. He was charged with interstate travel in aid of racketeering enterprises. 

The news release did not say where the fire happened, but News 8 reported on a significant fire in Connersville during that time frame. It involved Tommy Williams, the only Black member of the Connersville City Council. Williams told News 8 that someone spray-painted a racially derogatory word on their back porch and set the house on fire. 

The release said, “The defendant will make his initial court appearance in the Northern District of Alabama before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Harrison will make his initial court appearance in the Southern District of Indiana at a later date.”