One man was arrested on February 24 and charged with second-degree arson and third-degree burglary after allegedly setting a fire in the basement of the former Judson College library on Sunday. Authorities say 44-year-old Micah Hester was taken into custody following a standoff with law enforcement. According to statements by Marion Police Chief Kendrick Howell, Hester may have been living “somewhere in Tennessee” before coming to Marion. Information filed in Perry County District Court places his address at a home on East Dekalb Street in Marion.
Multiple departments responded to the scene on Sunday in an effort to contain the blaze before it could spread to other buildings on the historic campus. Firefighters from Marion, Suttle, Vaiden, Uniontown, and Hamburg were among those who arrived to battle the fire, along with emergency personnel from Perry County. Law enforcement officers, including members of the Marion Police Department, Uniontown Police Department, and the Perry County Sheriff’s Office, also responded to secure the area and assist with the situation. The combined efforts prevented extensive damage to the former library, though officials have not yet released an assessment of the structural impact.
According to a complaint filed in the District Court of Perry County, Hester “intentionally and with intent to damage a building, detention facility, or penal facility” started or maintained a fire inside the library at the former Judson College campus in Marion.
Court documents say Hester allegedly threw a brick through a door or window on the west side of the library, entered the building, and proceeded to the basement, where he ignited the fire. Marion Volunteer Fire Department and other responding agencies were able to contain the blaze before it spread.
Ownership of the former campus of Judson College was transferred to The Judson College Foundation, a private foundation, in 2023. Judson College ceased operating as a school in 2021. The campus has since remained largely vacant, though efforts have been made to preserve its historic buildings.
Hester was booked into the Perry County Jail on February 24 and remains in custody on a $25,000 bond. A preliminary hearing in the case has been set for April 10.
The motive behind the incident remains unclear, and no further details about possible damage to the building have been released. Authorities continue to investigate the case.
