Bond denied in Columbia County arson case

Photo courtesy istock.com

Date: May 18, 2022

A man accused of setting fire to his mother’s home was denied bond Tuesday, May 17.

Michael T. Robinson, 42, was arrested last month on a charge of first-degree arson in the April 4 fire set at a home on Old Ferry Road.

During a hearing Tuesday in Columbia County Superior Court, Robinson was denied bond after Chief Judge James G. Blanchard Jr. determined Robinson might pose a danger to the community, said Assistant District Attorney Kevin Majeska.

MORE: Man arrested in Tuesday morning shooting

A passer-by saw the fire and called the fire department. An arson investigator said the fire was consistent with arson in that gas was used, Majeska said. No one was home at the time of the fire.

In addition to arson, Robinson also faces a charge of exploitation of an elderly adult, according to the jail records. Robinson is still on probation in connection with a 2006 conviction for child molestation, according to court records.

Sandy Hodson is a staff reporter covering courts for The Augusta Press. Reach her at sandy@theaugustapress.com. 

What to Read Next

The Author

Award-winning journalist Sandy Hodson The Augusta Press courts reporter. She is a native of Indiana, but she has been an Augusta resident since 1995 when she joined the staff of the Augusta Chronicle where she covered courts and public affairs. Hodson is a graduate of Ball State University, and she holds a certificate in investigative reporting from the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization. Before joining the Chronicle, Hodson spent six years at the Jackson, Tenn. Sun. Hodson received the prestigious Georgia Press Association Freedom of Information Award in 2015, and she has won press association awards for investigative reporting, non-deadline reporting, hard news reporting, public service and specialty reporting. In 2000, Hodson won the Georgia Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, and in 2001, she received Honorable Mention for the same award and is a fellow of the National Press Foundation and a graduate of the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting boot camp.

Comment Policy

The Augusta Press encourages and welcomes reader comments; however, we request this be done in a respectful manner, and we retain the discretion to determine which comments violate our comment policy. We also reserve the right to hide, remove and/or not allow your comments to be posted.

The types of comments not allowed on our site include:

  • Threats of harm or violence
  • Profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity, including images of or links to such material
  • Racist comments
  • Victim shaming and/or blaming
  • Name calling and/or personal attacks;
  • Comments whose main purpose are to sell a product or promote commercial websites or services;
  • Comments that infringe on copyrights;
  • Spam comments, such as the same comment posted repeatedly on a profile.