Attempted murder case sent to grand jury

Gladys George and Johnny Shouse
Gladys George and Johnny Shouse
photo Gladys George and Johnny Shouse

A Hamilton County General Sessions Court judge on Tuesday bound over charges against a man and his girlfriend who police say tried to burn the man's mother to death in her home.

Gladys George, 20, and her boyfriend, Johnny Shouse, 41, lived with Shouse's mother Paula in a house on Ooltewah-Georgetown Road. On Jan. 7, police say, Paula went to sleep and awoke to a loud crash outside her bedroom door. She saw flames under the door but couldn't escape because the door was blocked.

When Paula made it out with her dog, she realized that the animal smelled like kerosene. Investigators determined an accelerant was used to light the fire. Meanwhile, the Department of Corrections realized Shouse, a registered sex offender, had cut off his ankle monitoring bracelet the day before.

The couple turned themselves in Jan. 8 in Shreveport, La. They were both charged with aggravated arson, attempted first-degree murder and theft over $1,000. Shouse also was charged with two counts of violating the sex offender registry.

On Tuesday, Judge Clarence Shattuck bound the couple's charges over to a grand jury. Shouse will be held on $3 million bond, and George's bond remains set at $1 million.

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