Suspected Firebug Arrested Minutes After Fire; Investigators Probe Second Incident
ARCHER LODGE — A Johnston County man with a history of fire-related crimes was arrested Monday night just minutes after authorities say he set a blaze behind an Archer Lodge business — and investigators believe he may be connected to a second fire reported nearby.
Daniel John Nolan, 49, of Clayton, was taken into custody around 9:00 p.m. following a traffic stop near Archer Lodge Express, formerly C.E. Barnes Store, at 13785 Buffalo Road.
According to the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office, Nolan allegedly started a fire underneath a commercial propane tank behind the business. The owner spotted the flames and quickly extinguished the fire using a water hose, preventing more serious damage or a potentially dangerous explosion.
Officials said the fire caused approximately $500 in damage to the propane tank and melted a nearby traffic cone.
Deputies located Nolan shortly afterward and charged him with burning a commercial structure, driving while impaired, driving while license revoked, and open container of alcohol.
Second Fire Under Investigation
Investigators say Nolan is a person of interest in another suspicious fire reported earlier Monday evening on South Murphrey Road, about a mile away from the Archer Lodge business.
Around 7:06 p.m., a 62-year-old homeowner discovered someone had set fire to the side of his residence and a vehicle parked in the driveway. The blaze caused an estimated $6,000 in damage before it was extinguished.
Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing in the South Murphrey Road fire.
History Of Fire-Related Offenses
Court records show Nolan has faced fire-related charges in Johnston County in recent years.
In September 2025, Nolan was arrested on felony second-degree arson and felony breaking and entering charges connected to a Nov. 11, 2020 fire at an abandoned home on Loop Road. Investigators linked him to the scene through DNA recovered from a cigarette butt nearly five years after the fire was set.
The felony arson charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement during a court appearance on Oct. 30, 2025. Nolan pleaded guilty to misdemeanor breaking and entering, received credit for 32 days served in jail, and was ordered to pay $708 in court costs and fees — which remain unpaid, according to online records.
In a separate case in July 2025, Nolan pleaded guilty to felony burning personal property after setting fire to a mattress and wooden bed frame. He received a suspended prison sentence of seven to 18 months and was placed on 18 months of probation. Court records indicate restitution and court costs from that case also remain unpaid.
Bond Set
Following his latest arrest, Nolan was held under a $50,000 secured bond on the felony burning charge and an additional $2,000 bond related to the impaired driving offense.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in either fire Monday night.
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And a judge will keep letting him out…
The guy is obviously mentally unstable and needs help, not repeated incarceration. Jail doesn’t rehabilitate, it only makes the mentally unstable much worse and there was a time when people got the help that they needed. Our system is broken and the holier than than thou stand on their moral high ground screaming to throw people under the jail when jail doesn’t fix mental health issues it only makes it worse. I don’t condone what this man did and thank God he didn’t hurt anyone but people need to remember that it could be you one day.
No, it couldn’t be “me” one day. Why do t you take him into your house and feed, clothe and shelter him and make sure he gets the mental help he needs until such time as he no longer is a threat to public safety…..bet you won’t.
Carl, he doesn’t need to be in society. He’s clearly better behind bars for himself and others. Help? I’m sure they have some kind of counseling or something in prison. He doesn’t need to be free to keep doing this. You look at their priors. He’s been given chances and he repeatedly has been a danger to citizens. A fire under a propane tank! Cmon. He needs to be locked away. There’s many people that do. Of all the crime in the DC area before Trump shut it down, a study was done and the vast majority of crime was being committed by around 300 people. You get those 300 off the streets and you have a safe city. That no cash bail and leniency obviously doesn’t work.
Sounds about right. Once again, the Johnston Co. District Attorney dismisses a charge and takes a plea deal. Par for the course during my entire career as a deputy in JOCO. And he does not need mental health, he is just mean. People need to stop throwing around mental health and accept that a lot of people are just mean.