Jones County woman charged with arson after admitting to starting house fire

Deputies say Amanda Drye admitted to spreading accelerant and setting her Largo Drive home on fire.

JONES COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Jones County woman is in jail after deputies say she admitted to setting her home on fire Tuesday afternoon on Largo Drive.

According to a Facebook post from the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy responded to the fire and arrived to find the home fully involved. Deputies said he located Amanda Drye trying to leave the home.

“Drye admitted to deputies that she spread accelerant and intentionally set the home on fire,” the post said.

Drye was arrested and charged with first-degree arson. She is being held in the Jones County Jail without bond, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said Drye’s estranged husband, William Jay Drye, has been listed as a missing person. He was last seen by his family on Sunday, September 7. Investigators said his disappearance is not connected to Tuesday’s fire.

Earlier Tuesday, Sheriff Butch Reece said emergency crews were responding to a fire on Largo Drive and urged people to avoid the area.

The sheriff’s office thanked the Jones County Fire Department and other first responders for their fast response.