Police have accused a St. Helena Island woman of setting a fire near a home after threatening to “burn everything,” according to a report.
Rondashia James, 27, of St. Helena was charged with arson in the third degree by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday.
A report from the Sheriff’s Office said James got into an argument with residents of a home on Ballpark Road on St. Helena and began threatening them.
A witness told a deputy they saw James go around the side of the home. The witness then saw smoke coming from a plastic tarp covering a gas tank near the house, the report said.
A neighbor helped put out the flames before police arrived.
James is being held at the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $10,000 bond, according to court records.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances:
In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested
In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety
In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims
Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that don’t meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot.
Jake Shore is a senior writer covering breaking news for The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette. He reports on criminal justice, police, and the courts system in Beaufort and Jasper Counties. Jake originally comes from sunny California and attended school at Fordham University in New York City. In 2020, Jake won a first place award for beat reporting on the police from the South Carolina Press Association.
