CAMDEN — By BRADLY GILL
Staff writer
Court documents from the Ouachita District Court revealed more details about the July 23 house fire that destroyed an unoccupied home at 120 Van Buren Street and subsequent arson case against the nephew of the deceased owner.
William Holcombe Milner, III was charged with Possession of Firearm by a certain individual, Arson, residential burglary and theft of property less than $1,000.
Affidavits state that on July 24, Officer Kayla Reynolds was dispatched to a home in reports of a male on Williams Street shooting rifles.
Milner ran inside his home when he saw the patrol car. The report states, “Officer Reynolds along with Lieutenant Parker attempted to call Milner out of the house, but Milner repeatedly stated, ‘you have no right to be here.’ Officer Reynolds relocated to the side of the house where she heard the sound of a firearm racking.”
Milner then attempted to exit a side window, but saw Officer Reynolds and tried to go back inside. The officer deployed her Taser, striking Milner in the back. Milner was taken into custody and when his home was searched, seven rifles were found. As a convicted felon, stemming from a 1991 residential burglary charge, Milner is prohibited from owning a firearm.
A separate affidavit details the events leading up to Milner being arrested for arson and burglary.
On July 23, at around 11:02 p.m. the Camden Fire Department were dispatched to 120 Van Buren Street for a structure fire. Upon arrival, the CFD noted the back of the structure was fully engulfed. The house belonged to the late Richard Milner.
On July 24, Captain John Voss spoke with an individual who was one of three executives of the estate of the late Milner. Milner’s family had been left out of the will. The individual was not sure if Milner the 3rd was aware of this fact, but was concerned that he could have started the fire had learned he was left out of the will. William Milner is the nephew of Richard Milner The individual explained he had come by the property on July 23 and found William Milner’s stepmother at the property stating that William Milner told her she could some of the ivy and shrubs on the outside of the house. She was told to not remove anything and that the family members had been left nothing.
A short time later Voss was called back to the house to speak with Fire Chief Robert Medford. He directed Voss to a church parking lot near the house. Voss noted a blue sack with a black plastic box inside sitting in the lot. The box contained the ashes of Richard Milner. The sack had been inside the house previously, according to the report.
The report states, “The removal of the ashes before the house burnt, seemed to be what a person would do who knew Richard.”
An officer also placed William Milner around the scene of the crime about three hours prior to the fire call.
On July 25, Chief Medford was told there was a deer camera inside the house as a makeshift security system. The fire department was unable to find the remains of the camera. It was suspected that someone had removed the camera.
Judge Hamilton Singleton signed a search warrant for William Milner’s home and the camera was found in a boat on his property. When the SD card was examined, the last photos showed William Milner inside the house and pouring am unknown substance on a rag.
Milner is currently being held in Ouachita County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond.