A Marble City man was arrested after a body was found inside a burned home Saturday (April 5), according to Sequoyah County Sheriff Ron Lockhart.
Arty Farris faces one count of murder, two counts of first-degree arson and one count of arson that causes injury and endangerment of emergency personnel, Lockhart said.
According to Lockhart, no personnel were injured in the fire, but the charge is always given when arson is involved due to the risk emergency personnel face.
Lockhart said the body of the man found in the home has been sent to the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine a cause of death and positive identification.
The fire started at 6 a.m. Saturday at a home off Main Street, officials said.
The Marble City Fire Chief said when crews arrived on scene the house was engulfed in flames and had already began to cave in.
He said they knew someone was inside but they could not get inside the house to save the person.
Evidence collected at the scene led investigators to suspect foul play, according to Lockhart.
"During the interview with Mr. Farris, there was no indication when we first interviewed him that he even went back into the house; so that was one of the pieces of the puzzle that we couldn't get added up there, because he's got burns but he said he didn't go in the house," said Lockhart.
The sheriff said the victim and Farris knew each other.
He said at the time of the fire four people including Farris were inside the home and everyone escaped the fire except the deceased.
Farris is being held in the Sequoyah County Detention Center without bond, officials said.
Lockhart said his arraignment was set for Wednesday.
The Marble City Police Department, Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Oklahoma State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the incident.