MADISON PARISH – The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFM) has arrested a former Tallulah volunteer firefighter for allegedly setting fire to an abandoned mobile home in his neighborhood.

Cody Faulkner, 28, was booked on August 9 on one count of Simple Arson in connection with the case.

In the late evening hours of August 8, the Tallulah Fire Department responded to a report of a mobile home fire located in the 200 block of Frederick Street in Richmond. No one was injured in the fire. However, suspicious circumstances discovered during the response to the fire led the fire chief to request the SFM’s assistance in the investigation.

After an assessment of the scene, deputies determined the fire was intentionally set in a bedroom.

Through collaboration with the fire department at the Madison Parish Sheriff’s Office, SFM deputies were able to identify Faulkner as a suspect in the case.

In an interview with deputies, Faulkner admitted setting the fire. He was then placed under arrest.

“It’s disappointing that one person’s actions can bring doubt to an entire fire department’s commitment to its community,” said State Fire Marshal Dan Wallis, “But the communities served by the Tallulah Fire Department should not only remain supportive and trusting of their first responders, but also be proud of them for doing the right thing even if it wasn’t the easy thing.”