Suspect in Upson County Fire Sentenced

ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King announced today that Nexus Christian, 50, of Durant, Oklahoma, has been sentenced in connection with a July 4, 2023, commercial structure fire in Upson County. 

In July of 2023, our office issued a press release asking the public to help identify the culprit behind a structure fire on South Church Street in downtown Thomaston. Following a multi-state coordinated effort to bring Mr. Christian to justice after he fled Georgia, the suspect was taken into custody by the Pittsburgh County Sheriff’s Office in Oklahoma. 

On January 7, 2025, Mr. Christian pled guilty to two counts of Arson in the First Degree, one count of Arson in the Second Degree, and one count of Insurance Fraud. A Griffin Judicial Circuit Upson County Superior Court judge sentenced the suspect to 20 years for the fire caused in Thomaston, Georgia. Mr. Christian will serve three years in prison minus time already served and the remaining years on probation. 

As part of the sentencing, Mr. Christian will pay a $5,000.00 fine and has received a restraining order restricting his entrance to the Griffin Judicial circuit area, which includes parts of Upson, Fayette, Pike, and Spalding Counties.

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The mission of the Office Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire is to protect Georgia families by providing access to vital insurance products and safe buildings through fair regulation that creates economic opportunities for all Georgians.