GEORGETOWN — A Williamson County grand jury declined to indict a 47-year-old man on a charge of arson in a fire that destroyed the historic home of Dr. James Lee Dickey in Taylor.
The grand jury returned a “no bill” for James Paul Gogolewski, 47, on Thursday, Sept. 29, according to court records.
Dickey was a pioneering community leader, and one of the first black physicians in eastern Williamson County. The home of the late doctor was being turned into a museum.
Not everyone is happy about the grand jury’s decision.
"I don't feel like justice was served," said Jennifer Harris, Dickey Museum and Multipurpose Center board president.
Harris said her organization will not stop from moving forward to build a replica of Dickey’s home.
"This one thing will not derail what we are trying to do," she said.
Although specific grand jury proceedings by law are secret, Harris said she was told there was not enough evidence to proceed with a trial.
On July 12, Gogolewski was charged with arson, a second-degree felony, after a fire destroyed the structure at 500 Burkett St. in Taylor.
According to the Taylor Fire Department, at 3:32 a.m. July 10, firefighters responded to a call for a structure fire at the Dickey home. When they arrived around 3:40 a.m., the buildings was engulfed in flames.
First responders from Taylor, Round Rock, the Hutto Emergency Services District, ESD 10 in Coupland and Thrall and volunteers from the Avery-Pickett Volunteer Fire Department tried to contain the blaze, but the structure burned to the ground.
A man spotted close to the scene that night was questioned by police. Investigators said he was also in possession of an orange torch lighter, a broken glass pipe and pieces of paper. He was later released from the scene pending further investigation.
According to an arrest affidavit, later that morning, the man went home and asked his father for a ride to pick up his belongings. His father said his son smelled like smoke as if he had been near a wood fire.
The man directed his father to the area of the fire and went towards the trees behind the former museum, investigators said.
As they passed the remains of the structure, the son said, “I had to burn down that pagan church,” according to the affidavit.
His father asked if he had set the building afire and the man responded, “Yes, it was a pagan church and I had to burn it down,” according to court documents.
The Dickey residence was never used as a church.
According to the affidavit, when the son was eating later that day, his mother heard him say, “I burned down that pagan church. I had to.”
Following the decision not to pursue a criminal case, Gogolewski was released from the Williamson County Jail, where he’d been held since his arrest.
In a statement, Prosecutor Mike Davis said, “We certainly appreciate the arduous work and time you put into this case” regarding the Taylor Police Department.
