Evelyn GeorgeLIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. – On July 21, 2023, an 18-year-old woman used a lighter to set the seatbelt of a Hinesville Police vehicle on fire while she sat in the back after calling authorities for help. Officers responded to a Dover Lane residence regarding threats and discovered that the complainant, Jahshira Taleigh Gillum, had fled the scene on foot.
They found her near the intersection of Barony and East Oxford Lanes, and she told them she needed EMS to examine her. As they waited for emergency personnel to arrive, one of the officers asked her if she wished to sit in the rear of a patrol vehicle, and she agreed.
Upon searching her, they found two pocket knives on her person and turned them over to her sister, who was also present. When the officers saw that Gillum had started a fire in the back of the patrol vehicle, they handcuffed her and put out the blaze.
The vehicle’s backseat camera was on and recorded the incident. The officers transported her to Liberty Regional Hospital to receive medical clearance before releasing her to Liberty County Jail staff.
Gillum faces charges of first-degree arson and felony interference with government property. An officer brought her before a judge who denied her bond and referred the case to Superior Court, where it is scheduled to be heard by a grand jury in September 2023.
