A former Dollar General employee has been found guilty and sentenced to a decade in prison for starting the 2024 fire inside the downtown Harrison store where she was employed.
On Thursday, Oct. 29, Stephanie Marie Cash, 27, of Harrison was formally sentenced by 14th Circuit Division 3 Judge John Putman to 120 months in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and a $500 fine for Felony Arson and Aggravated Assault.
The fire occurred at the Dollar General store on the downtown square in Harrison on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. The fire was determined to be suspicious in nature and upon review of video surveillance, Cash was seen entering the aisle where the fire originated multiple times during her shift, including just three minutes prior to the fire being discovered by a co-worker, according to the 2024 court filed affidavit.
Following her final visit to the aisle, Cash was seen on video sprinting across the store to retrieve her personal belongings before returning to the registers at the front the store. In the seconds before the fire was discovered by her co-worker, Cash had clocked out and looked down the aisle as she casually made her way to the exit. In two post-Miranda interviews, Cash denied ever seeing smoke or the fire; or having any involvement, according to the affidavit.
During the investigation, it was determined the fire could not have started without human involvement and fire had been intentionally set. This determination led investigators to arrest and charge Cash on Thursday, Nov. 21, who was released on $25,000 bail after booking, according to KHOZ News Archives.
The store had already closed for the night when the fire started.
