WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and weather - Tabor City teen says he's innocent

Tabor City teen says he's innocent

Reported by Casey Roman - blog|email
Posted by Debra Worley - email

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) - A Columbus County teenager faced a judge Friday morning on two felony charges, including the charge of burning down his own home which was paid for with money from State Senator R.C. Soles.

The judge cautioned 17-year-old Allen Strickland about speaking openly about the case, but the teen spoke with WECT right after his hearing.

While he faced a judge Friday for charges of fraudulently setting fire to his home and obtaining property with false pretenses, Strickland claims he was arrested by the SBI for other reasons.

"They arrested me because they think I done something with R.C. Soles," said Strickland.  "They thought I wasn't going to make that bond."

Strickland was able to post $100,000 bond with help from bail bondsman Jamil Best.  Strickland was not required to pay the entire $100,000 amount to Jamil Best, only a portion.

"It was Allen Strickland's card, we processed the card over the phone to make sure the money was there," said Best.

Strickland said he funded the bond with savings from an anonymous donor.

"It was a gift I'm not going to say where it comes from," said Strickland.

After the court appearance, Strickland was back to life as usual - cruising around town.  Strickland claims he is not guilty and the proof will come from house alarm records that he says will show he was inside with the fire was set outside.

If he is found guilty, the Tabor City teen could spend the next 11 years of his life in jail.

Strickland will be back in court on September 21.  He said he is looking in Raleigh for a new lawyer to represent him and will not be using Senator Soles.

©2009 WECT. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.