Tuesday morning, alleged arsonist Brandi Renee Gaddis, 20, was arrested in Broward County, Florida.
Gaddis was wanted for an Aug. 16, 2014 arson that damaged a vacant Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive home and left a Bainbridge Public Safety officer hospitalized with injuries. BPS released a wanted poster last week, announcing a $10,000 reward for information on Gaddis’ whereabouts.
Gaddis’ capture was a collaborative effort from several law enforcement agencies, said BPS Director Chief Eric Miller. BPS acquired a felony warrant for the arrest of Gaddis and sent information to the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office for assistance.
“[DCSO’s] fugitive team took the information and did some more research and investigation, attempted to locate her, found some information that led them to believe she was in Pompano Beach, Florida,” Miller said.
BPS Captain Shannon Dunaway was injured while fighting the August 2014 fire after part of the home collapsed. He is still recovering, Miller said.
DCSO Sgt. Brian Donalson had a major hand in investigating the location of Gaddis. According to Donalson, Gaddis was found hiding underneath her bed in her Broward County home.
“I’m proud we could help BPS and the Dunaway family,” Donalson said. “They probably want some closure to this thing. We’re proud we could help the investigators and department.”
Miller said he was glad to work with the DCSO.
“We’re very appreciative of the assistance and cooperation from the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office and their fugitive team and Broward County, which is where Pompano Beach is, and their fugitive team for bringing her to justice and located so we can get her charged and held accountable for the fire and injury to our officer,” Miller said.
Gaddis will be extradited to Decatur County.