GEORGETOWN, S.C. — A Georgetown man who had to be talked out of jumping from the Maryville Bridge early Sunday has been charged with arson and four counts of attempted murder, police say.

Larry Dingle, 32, of 2628 Front Street, was in jail awaiting a bond hearing Sunday.

At about 12:20 a.m. Sunday, Georgetown City firefighters were dispatched to 118 Lafayette Street because of a fire.

It was the same location police had responded to about 45 minutes before the fire call, according to Georgetown Police Capt. Nelson Brown.

When police arrived, they were met by a 34-year-old woman who told officers she and Dingle, her boyfriend, got into an altercation and she thought he had broken her cell phone, Brown said.

However, she was able to put the phone back together and she called 911.

When firefighters got the call, they arrived and found heavy fire and smoke, mostly in the rear of the structure, said Assistant Fire Chief Bill Johnson.

“All occupants of the house were out of the house upon our arrival,” Johnson said. “There were no injuries.”

Crews brought the blaze under control in about 15 minutes.

“The home suffered heavy damage and an adjacent structure was also damaged,” Johnson added.

Brown said Dingle was believed to have set the fire, so all on duty officers were given his description and were asked to try to find him.

While driving toward Maryville, Officer Shep Bone spotted Dingle on the bridge.

Brown said he was standing on a platform that houses a street light.

Bone and Officer Kyle Walton began talking to Dingle to convince him to step off the ledge to safety.

The Coast Guard was also called and responded with a boat to standby under the bridge.

Brown said it took about 45 minutes but the officers were able to talk Dingle down from the platform.

He was then arrested without incident and was transported to the hospital for medical evaluation. Once he was cleared he was taken to jail, Brown said.

He said the four attempted murder charges were levied because there were four people in the home when the fire started.

Besides Dingle’s girlfriend, the ages of the victims are 14, 15 and 23, Brown said.

By Scott Harper

sharper@gtowntimes.com