SerpApi.Org
A fourth man was arrested in the ongoing investigation into a 2024 fire at the Jasper County Detention Center, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Kerstin Denzel Holmes, 37, was charged July 13 with first-degree arson and criminal conspiracy, after investigators say he helped to start a fire inside the detention center at 12008 North Jacob Smart Boulevard Jasper on Sept. 21, 2024, according to an arrest warrant.
It’s further alleged that conspired with other inmates to “willfully and maliciously” set fire to combustible materials, including blankets, paper and mattress material.
Evidence against Holmes was corroborated by surveillance video where Holmes is seen gathering blankets near the area where the fire started. Video footage also showed another inmate using a black Bic lighter to ignite the materials, the warrant said.
The fire damaged the jail’s structure and left other inmates and jail staff seriously injured, according to the warrant.
SLED previously charged three other men in the case: Carlton Alexander German, 38, and Jamari Tylik Williams, 22, on April 18, 2025, and Jermon Malik Walker, 29, on May 1, 2025. All face charges of first-degree arson and criminal conspiracy, according to a news release.
Holmes was booked into the Jasper County Detention Center, and the case will be prosecuted by the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
