Elderly resident faces arson, aggravated assault charges

A male resident faces charges for allegedly starting a fire in his bedroom at the Brooks Personal Care Home in Hephzibah, Georgia. The other two residents were in the home when the fire was set. The man and another resident were taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

Connley Seterfeit, 76, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of arson in the first degree. According to a Hephzibah Police Department report, Seterfeit blocked the door to his room with a trashcan and a walker and set a pile of clothes on fire around 8:30 p.m. May 14.

The fire damage was reportedly confined to the bedroom wall, clothes and trashcan, but the entire house was filled with smoke.

Seterfeit needed treatment for minor injuries. Another resident was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and then released, according to an initial report from the Augusta Fire Department. 

Nicole Stempak

Nicole was Senior Editor at I Advance Senior Care and Long Term Living Magazine 2015-2017. She has a Journalism degree from Kent State University and is finalizing a master’s degree in Information Architecture and Management. She has extensive studies in the digital user experience and in branding online media. She has worked as an editor and writer for various B2B publications, including Business Finance.