Man Jailed In Jefferson County For Arson

Jefferson County authorities are saying a man is in now in jail after purposefully setting a camper on fire. Just before 2pm Monday, deputies in Jefferson County were dispatched to a structure fire in the Strawberry Plains area. A camper parked next to an adjacent mobile home was completely engulfed in flames. Fire had spread to a section of the mobile home but quick action by the New Market Volunteer Fire Department helped save that mobile home with just moderate damage. Witnesses on the scene told deputies they had overheard 36 year old Corey Allen Wells making threats prior to the fire and that he left walking toward Old AJ Hwy. Wells was located in some nearby woods. His statement and evidence on his person led to his arrest. Wells had been in an ongoing dispute with the couple who had been staying in the camper. That couples dog was inside the camper and perished in the fire. Wells has been charged with Arson and Aggravated Animal Cruelty in the death of the dog. He is currently being held at the Jefferson County Detention Center in Dandridge.