On June 23, 2023, Jason Kitts entered a plea of guilty to the offense of Aggravated Arson and was sentenced to serve 15 years in the custody of the Tennessee Department of Corrections.

The plea comes from an incident that began in the early morning hours on October 29, 2022, at a residence on Petros Highway. Kitts resided there with the homeowner. In an argument during the early morning hours, Kitts physically assaulted the homeowner causing her to flee the home and call police from the Marathon gas station in Petros.

While she was speaking to police, Kitts called her threatening to burn her house down and stated that he would kill any police officers who responded. Deputy Danny Phillips was able to record this phone call. The homeowner went to a safe location after being escorted by officers to the Morgan County Line and did not return home.

The next day, the homeowner received word from someone who had been in contact with Kitts that her house was on fire. The homeowner called 911 and the fire was extinguished, but a lot of damage had been done to the home and the personal property of the homeowner.

Kitts set their bed on fire and he had also set fire in other locations within the home.

Kitts was taken into custody by authorities at approximately 11:00 AM on October 30, 2022.

As a result of the plea, Kitts will serve his 15-year sentence in a prison to be designated by the Tennessee Department of Corrections. This offense requires the service of 100% of the sentence with 15% of the sentence subject to suspension for good behavior before the defendant is eligible for release on parole.

This case was prosecuted by Senior ADA Bob Edwards and ADA Jonathan Edwards. Kitts was represented by the Public Defender’s Office.