Two Rivers Crime Stoppers Seeking Info on Poor Farm Arson

By Benjamin Cox on August 19, 2022 at 9:32am

Two Rivers Crime Stoppers is asking for the public’s assistance in finding individuals who may be responsible for two arson fires that burned the Greene County Almshouse.

The first incident occurred on August 8th. Firefighters from the Carrollton Fire Department were able to respond to this incident quickly and initially save the structure. The first incident is believed to have been started on the second floor of the structure.

A photo of the remains of the Almshouse after Wednesday night’s fire. (Courtesy Greene County Scanner Facebook Page)

The second incident occurred on August 17th and started around 9:30PM. The fire was fully involved before fire crews arrived, and the structure was destroyed.

This property is owned by Greene County and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

The charge of arson in an Illinois court is a Class 2 felony. Aggravated arson is considered a class X felony. A Class 2 felony carries a 3 to 7 year prison sentence. A class X felony carries a 6-30 year prison sentence.

The Greene County Sheriff’s Department is asking if anyone has any information about these two incidents to submit a tip online at http://tworiverscrimestoppers.org/. Simply click on “Send In a Tip” on the left hand menu and fill out the form or call 1-800-300-2590 or you can leave a tip through the Jersey County Sheriff’s Department mobile app. Crime Stoppers says if your tip leads to an arrest for this particular crime, you are eligible for a cash reward.