By Bud Tranner, The North Fulton Spirit/ Writer.

ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA – Thursday, 6 AM: Suspicious mobile home fire.  Local investigators rummage through wreckage for clues to how this fire started.

All that remains of the Browns’ home is the scorched shell.  Their mobile home, located in the Paradise Found mobile neighborhood, burned down late Wednesday.  The Chief of Police has yet to release a statement concerning the cause of the fire, but neighbors are describing this scene as “fishy” and “no surprise.”  The residents of the home were Britton Brown and his now estranged wife Lanny.  Margaret Lewis, eye-witness and BFF to Lanny Brown says that she heard some yelling at around 10 PM. 

Margaret says, “Well, you know, it ain’t like we never heard yelling around here.  Am I supposed to call the police every time [I] got to listen to a domestral dispute?  I mean, Lanny’s a good friend.  Don’t get me wrong.  But she’s ain’t moving in with me.  Also, I’ll just say that I think Britt’s a dog.”

As far as can be determined, the Brown’s mobile home began burning at around 10:45 Wednesday night.  From the looks of the debris, a collection of Mars, Inc. M&M’s paraphernalia may have been lost.  There seems to be a pile of what may be clothes lying in the center of what may have been the living room. Fortunately, not all is lost.  The Jim Beam bar mirror survived the tragedy.  Both residents are known smokers.

Lanny Brown, 33, formerly Lanny Putt, married Britton Brown, 35, in 1996.  She has been known to describe that year as “fuzzy.”  They purchased their mobile home the same year.  The Browns have no children, for which, can be accounted.  Both Lanny and Britton work at the local tire manufacturing plant Rubbers Up.  Britton recently acquired fame as he was dubbed Rubbers Up’s “Fastest Inner Tuber.”  Lanny works as the office manager and oversees the scheduling of shipments. 

A coworker, Samuel Jenkins told us, “Man, Lanny is loud in that office, I tell you.  She gets a hold of that microphone [PA system] and starts hollering for Britton to come to the office.  I think all us guys ribbed him for that.  Ain’t right for your wife to be hollering like that in front of everybody else.  That voice can turn a man off real quick.  We all were waiting for the day he’d quit her.  [E]Specially since he just won that company award and all.  The ladies love awards.”

Lanny and Britton could not be reached for comment.  The Unlawful Acts Investigations Department has asked the couple to remain mum.

 

 

…UPDATE… Thursday, 12:30 PM

New information has been released by the Unlawful Acts Investigations Department just this morning.

On Wednesday evening at or around 10 PM, Britton Brown was seen entering his residence.  A few minutes later, shouting could be heard from inside.  Eyewitnesses have come forward to state they saw Lanny through the Browns’ living room window throwing large candy-men figurines at Britton.  Then, Britton is said to have shouted, “I am the fastest inner tuber!”  To which, Lanny responds, “Big, fat, hairy deal, Britt.  And I can light my cigarette with my toes!  Who cares?”  Lanny allegedly kicks the ash tray in an attempt to pick up her lighter.  A lit cigarette falls from the ash tray onto the pile of clothes resting on the floor.  The Browns escaped the home within moments of the conflagration.

 

…UPDATE… Thursday, 9 PM

The Unlawful Acts Investigations Department has arrested 56 year old Margaret Lewis and charged her and Lanny Brown with arson and attempted murder.  Lanny Brown has also been charged with insurance fraud.  Sources inside the department say that Margaret Lewis acted as their prime witness, but was unable to repeat details of the events leading investigators to believe she might be a liar.  Through further investigation, it was revealed that Margaret and Lanny were allegedly in cahoots.  Also surprisingly, the Mars, Inc. M&M’s collection belonged to Britton and not to Lanny as first assumed. 

“Insurance money seems to be the motive,” says Detective Juarez.   “It looks like they were planning to use the money to run out of town.  They expected Britton to be passed out drunk in his La-Z-Boy by that hour.  Ms. Lewis became a turn-coat after realizing that with Mr. Brown still alive, she didn’t have a chance at the money.”

Although drunk, Britton was not passed out yet in his La-Z-Boy.  He had been out celebrating his company award – again – and arrived home late.

According to Juarez, “Mr. Brown appears to be devastated and still drunk.”

A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday morning.

 

Bud Tranner is a new staff writer for The North Fulton Spirit.  His previous work was in traffic reporting and obituaries.