Laurel man charged with arson in hotel room | Free News

A Laurel man is accused of setting fire to a second-floor room at a Laurel hotel last week.

Cornell Sonnier, 42, was arrested and charged with arson after being stopped at the Quality Inn on Sawmill Road around 7 p.m. Monday, said Laurel Police Department Investigator Brad Anderson.

According to reports, a fire started in a pile of clothes in a room where Sonnier was reportedly staying and Laurel police arrested him at the scene. The hotel owner called 911 after seeing the flames and firefighters from the Laurel Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire and limited the damage to the room.

Sonnier was booked into the Jones County Adult Detention Center and released pending a grand jury hearing. Sonnier was also charged with possession of a controlled substance and trespassing.

He was charged with arson and residential burglary in March and commercial burglary in October. It is unclear whether he has been released on bail on either charge.