Man charged with arson after manhunt caused school lockdown

DOBBINS HEIGHTS — The Richmond County Sherriff’s Office has charged a man with arson, which resulted in the lockdown of Monroe Avenue Elementary in Hamlet Monday.

Mack Lewis Wertz Jr., 49, is charged with one felony count each of domestic criminal trespassing, felony stalking and second degree arson. He’s charged with one misdemeanor count each of communicating threats, injury to personal property and breaking and entering,

Wertz was also in violation of four domestic violence protection orders, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

No children were harmed; the school system went into lockdown out of an “abundance of caution.” According to Chief Deputy Mark Gulledge, a woman was filing charges against the suspect and reported that she spotted him on the surveillance system at her house. The system then went offline.

Deputies were dispatched to the residence and saw smoke coming from the residence. Hamlet Fire Department was contacted immediately.

“It was quickly put out,” Gulledge said.

The area was searched for the suspect, but deputies were unable to locate him Monday. They then contacted Richmond County Schools, who enacted their safety protocols.

Wertz was arrested without incident Tuesday morning a little after 8 a.m. He was located at a business west of Hamlet.

Wertz is currently being processed in Richmond County Jail.

This is a developing story.