Two dogs were pulled from a burning home on Wyse Fork Road in Jones County on September 9, and deputies say a 65-year-old woman is now behind the fire that trapped them. Rovenia Holmes, of Onslow County, faces second-degree arson, felony breaking and entering, felony burning of personal property, and two counts of felony cruelty to animals.
According to WITN, Jones County deputies were called to the home on Wyse Fork Road on September 9 and encountered heavy smoke and fire upon arrival. Deputies rescued one dog from the home, but smoke ultimately forced them back outside before they could do more. Firefighters who arrived on scene then extinguished the blaze and rescued a second dog, per the station's report.
Deputies allege Holmes broke into the home and set it on fire, the outlet notes. She was arrested in Onslow County on September 9 and is being held on a $15,000 secured bond.
How North Carolina Law Frames the Charges
The charges reflect a layered breakdown under North Carolina's criminal code. Second-degree arson applies because the home was unoccupied by people at the time of the fire, and setting fire to an unoccupied dwelling was elevated from a Class G to a Class E felony under a 2022 revision, according to the UNC School of Government. That classification carries a standard prison sentence of 15 to 63 months.
The two dogs trapped inside generated separate felony counts as well. Intentionally and maliciously harming an animal is charged as a Class H felony per count under state law, per the Animal Legal & Historical Center, which explains why two distinct counts were filed rather than one. That charge carries a standard sentencing range of 4 to 25 months per count.
Breaking or entering a building with intent to commit a felony or larceny inside is also a Class H felony, punishable by up to 25 to 39 months in prison depending on the defendant's prior criminal history, according to King Law Offices. Separately, wantonly and willfully burning goods, chattels, or personal property belonging to another stands as its own Class H felony distinct from the residential arson count, as detailed by FindLaw.
Multiple Agencies on the Scene
Jones County deputies worked closely with the Jones County Fire Marshal, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the North Carolina Department of Insurance, WITN reports. Wyse Fork Road falls within the service district of the Wyse Fork Volunteer Fire Department, which operates out of 6936 Wyse Fork Road as one of seven volunteer fire departments coordinated by the Jones County Fire Marshal, according to Jones County Government.
State law gives investigating agencies, including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of State Fire Marshal, statutory authority to require insurance companies to turn over policy details, claim histories, and evidence during incendiary fire investigations, per the North Carolina General Assembly. That authority helps explain why state-level agencies joined local deputies on the Wyse Fork Road scene.
Holmes was ultimately arrested in Onslow County, a neighboring rural jurisdiction where local sheriff's offices routinely share cross-county law enforcement intelligence to apprehend suspects who cross county lines, according to the Jones County Sheriff Office. How Holmes came to be connected to the property, and any motive behind the alleged break-in and fire, has not been detailed publicly.
What Remains Unclear
The condition of the two rescued dogs has not been reported, nor has any information about Holmes's relationship to the home's owner. It also remains unclear whether any insurance or financial claims are tied to the property. Holmes remains in custody in Onslow County on the $15,000 secured bond as the investigation continues.
