A 35-year-old man who had been hospitalized six days at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville and had been charged with setting a fire there has been released from the hospital and is now in jail.
“On 6/11/2026 around 4 AM, officers were dispatched to the hospital in reference to (Gary Gene Lawrence, Jr.) lighting a bathroom trashcan on fire,” Lt. Jessica Van wrote in an email. “Warrants were issued for his arrest, but he was not taken into custody that date because he was being treated for unrelated medical conditions.”
Van added that the warrant was finally served Wednesday morning at the hospital.
Hall County Jail records show he was booked about noon Wednesday.