Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Sept. 26, 2025 – A Jonesboro man is being held on a $250,000 cash/surety bond after police said he intentionally set his apartment on fire to “burn the ‘goons’ out.”
District Judge David Boling found probable cause to charge 39-year-old Timothy Lee Meadors with arson. This followed his arrest after an investigation into an act of arson that took place Sept. 18.
According to the affidavit, at 3:27 a.m. Sept. 18, Jonesboro firefighters were dispatched to an apartment in the 1300 block of Flint Street for a structure fire.
Upon arrival, an engine captain said he saw a two-story apartment with fire coming out of the door and window of the building. Meadors, a tenant of the apartment, met with crews and said his dog was inside. The affidavit said firefighters got inside, encountering heavy smoke and being blocked by something, making it difficult to open the door.
The affidavit said Meadors was taken to a hospital for a cut on his neck, but it was later learned it was self-inflicted. Cpt. John White of the Jonesboro Fire Marshal Division interviewed Meadors at 5:20 a.m., who said he used a box blade to cut his neck and place himself in a room in the apartment when the fire started.
Meadors told the captain he refilled his lighter with lighter fluid from a bottle, which he said was not closed. Some of the liquid spilled onto a cloth chair and carpet in the living room, he told the captain. He said he lit a cigarette, and it fell on the floor in the area where the fluid spilled.
At 1:45 p.m. the same day, Captains Adam Marshall and Brian Carter interviewed Meadors after his neck injury was treated. According to the affidavit, Meadors said he tried to end his life by cutting his neck and intentionally started the fire using a flammable liquid and a Zippo lighter.
“He stated that he was trying to burn the ‘goons’ out of his apartment. Mr. Meador believed that the ‘goons’ were there to cause him harm,” the affidavit said.
Firefighters said in addition to the front window and door on the west side of the building, there was also fire damage around the south side window.
They found the living room had heavy damage, with the interior window frames and walls showing signs of charring and mass loss. The metal frame and springs from two chairs were also found, with the point of origin appearing to be where the chairs were located.
Meadors is scheduled to be back in court on Oct. 30.
