News

Jul 05, 2023

Man arrested in connection with Fordyce fire case

One man has been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed two downtown buildings in Fordyce, according to authorities. The owners of the structures say they are planning to rebuild. On July

One man has been arrested in connection with a fire that destroyed two downtown buildings in Fordyce, according to authorities.

The owners of the structures say they are planning to rebuild.

On July 26, Dallas County Sheriff Mike Knoedl said that after he and two deputies had conducted several interviews regarding the July 4 fire, they arrested Shawn Nunley, 39, of Fordyce.

"I'm very happy to announce we have arrested a suspect in the break-in and arson of Mav & Me Boutique," stated the sheriff. "I want to commend Sgt. Jordan Ables and Capt. Keith Axsom for their efforts to bring this case to a close. Both deputies and I have conducted multiple interviews since the date of the fire and break-in."

Knoedl said the arrest was made after making contact with Nunley and finding articles in his possession that were taken in the theft.

"He is currently being held in Dallas County Detention Center on charges of commercial burglary, breaking and entering and arson," Knoedl said.

At 5 a.m. on July 4, a call came in to 911 that a structure on Main Street was on fire. By the time firefighters arrived, Mav & Me, a ladies and children's clothing boutique at 306 N. Main St., was fully involved with the blaze.

According to a Dallas County sheriff's office incident report, "During the initial investigation the only thing that was determined missing were several hundred pairs of Hey Dudes shoes, $500 cash, and a planning notebook."

The report further said that on July 23, Ables received information from an informant who produced a voice message from July 4 that included a man saying, "I got some s***. They left the back door open on one of them department stores on main street unlocked."

"The individual that produced the voice message also showed a Facebook message exchange from that time period," according to the report. "Just before the voice message was sent, the individual stated that he was going to break into the Methodist Church Food Bank pantry."

When asked to identify the voice, the informant allegedly said it was Nunley's. Nunley was also identified from another booking photo taken last year.

The sheriff's report said Ables obtained an arrest warrant for Nunley, and shortly afterward, Nunley was arrested. At the time of arrest, Nunley was in possession of a backpack that contained items that were identified as coming from the burned structure, authorities said.

After the arrest, another interview was conducted with the informant, who told authorities that Nunley had told him he could not remember what he had touched in the store when he broke into the building "so he went back and set it on fire" so his fingerprints could not be found, according to the report.

"Occupying spaces on either side of the destroyed business are two significantly historic buildings, the fourth-generation Wynne Law Firm to the north and the dome-roofed Home Life Insurance Co. building to the south." Although each of the neighboring buildings sustained smoke and water damage, they did not succumb to the blaze.

Fordyce Fire Chief Jim Culp stated, "Original firewalls incorporated into the early 20th century construction aided tremendously in containing the blaze to Mav & Me."

Fordyce contractor Tony Curtis came in with dump trucks and a track hoe to clean off the remnants of the two destroyed historic structures that were occupied by Mav & Me.

With debris removal complete, plans are underway by owners Samantha and Jesse Brandon to rebuild their business at the same location. Jesse Brandon explained how they intend to go back with a metal building on a new concrete slab before the end of 2023. He added his thanks to local people for their support and prayers and expressed the couple's intention to support local business with the rebuild.

"Thanks to the Fordyce Police and Dallas County sheriff's departments for all their hard work on the case," he said. "And a special thanks to the local Fire Departments for spending all day July 4 fighting the fire. We are really blessed to live in such a good community."

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