Emergency dispatcher charged in fire
THOMASVILLE — A High Point 911 emergency dispatcher has been charged with arson in a fire on Wednesday that gutted the Thomasville house where she and her husband, a High Point Police Department officer, lived.
Theresa Allison Varner, 39, has been charged with two counts of first-degree arson, two counts of felonious cruelty to animals and one count each of second-degree arson and felonious burning of personal property, Thomasville police said Friday. Varner was being held in the Davidson County Jail in Lexington with no bond allowed pending a court hearing.
Varner, who has worked 11 years in the 911 Division of the High Point ITS Department, was placed on paid administrative leave, the city said Friday.
Police told The High Point Enterprise on Friday that they wouldn’t publicly discuss a possible motive for setting the fire.
The Thomasville Police Department said there is currently no evidence that Varner’s husband, Jason Cano, knew anything about the events surrounding the fire, either before or after it took place.
The fire started just before 6:30 a.m. at the house on Grace Drive. No one was reported to be home at the time of the fire, though a pet dog and cat died in the blaze.
Two neighboring houses that were occupied at the time sustained fire damage, according to Thomasville police.
The two counts of first-degree arson against Varner involve the two houses that were occupied when the fire started, and the single count of second-degree arson is for Varner’s house because it wasn’t occupied at the time.
Varner was charged after an investigation by the Thomasville Police Department, Thomasville Fire and Rescue Department, N.C. Department of Insurance, Davidson County Fire Marshal’s Office and Davidson County District Attorney’s Office.
The High Point Police Department initially rallied around the couple, announcing a gift card drive for them during a press briefing at the police headquarters Wednesday afternoon.
On Friday Police Chief Curtis Cheeks III said the “individual” who was charged with arson isn’t a police department employee, and the gift card drive has been “paused” though it met the immediate needs of the officer.
“Right now, my focus as chief of police is on our officer’s well-being,” Cheeks said. “We will continue to provide him resources to ensure his physical and emotional needs are met.”
Anyone with questions about previous donations dropped off at the police department can call 336-887-7805, Cheeks said.
The Thomasville Police Department said that the investigation into the fire is ongoing. Police ask that anyone with information call 336-475-4260.
