man arrested for setting girlfriend on

Man arrested for setting girlfriend on fire

ATHENS, Ga. --A man has been arrested after his girlfriend was doused

in gasoline and set on fire.

Brenda Marie Sims, 27, was brought to the hospital Wednesday with

burns to her mouth, nose and upper body, police said.

Police believe Sims and her boyfriend, Vernell Garrett, got into an

argument because Sims would not give him money to buy crack cocaine.

When she refused, Garrett got a can of gasoline, poured it on her and

set her on fire with a cigarette lighter, police said.

Sims' shirt and bra caught on fire. She took them off, ran to a

neighbor's apartment and was driven to the hospital.

Garrett, 38, was arrested in the hospital emergency room visitor's

lounge after he showed up with the couple's two children. He has been

charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery and two counts of

third-degree child cruelty.

"I haven't ever seen anything like it," Athens-Clarke County police

Capt. Clarence Holeman said. "I have experienced people throwing hot

water on people, but I hadn't actually seen someone set on fire.

Obviously, Mr. Garrett has some serious problems."

Police leveled child cruelty charges against Garrett because the

couple's two daughters witnessed the attack, police said.

Garrett had been arrested less than three months ago for fighting with

Sims in the street. He was charged Nov. 27 with simple battery under

the Family Violence Act and released on a $1,500 bond.

Sims was transferred Wednesday night to Augusta's Joseph M. Still Burn

Center, where she received skin grafts Thursday, police said. Her

mother took custody of the couple's daughters, police said.