Former Citizen of the Year Nikki Joly, one of the leading voices in the march to passage of the city’s Non-Discrimination Ordinance was arrested Monday on charges of arson stemming from a fire in his home on Pringle Street that killed the family pets, and injured a firefighter on August 10, 2017.

Joly, 53, has a probable cause conference set for October 5, and a probable cause hearing on October 11. His bond was set at $25,000. The 2018 Jackson Citizen Patriot Citizen of the Year helped the final push toward the passing of the NDO in 2017, as well as the director of the Jackson Pride Center, and organizer of the 2017 and 2018 Pride Parades.

The City of Jackson released a brief statement regarding Joly, “Nicole Joly did not have any official ties to the City of Jackson. We are not in the position to comment on criminal investigations. Any inquiries about the investigation are being forwarded to the Jackson Police Department.”

Jackson County Prosecutor Jerry Jarzynka spoke with WKHM on the incident, “The prosecution theory in this case is that the defendant intentionally set the fire in the house.” When asked about the time between the incident and the arrest, Jarzynka said, “In this case, there was extensive investigation that was done by the City of Jackson Police Department; and once that was complete we reviewed that case and authorized the charge.”

Stay tuned to WKHM for further updates.