Arrest made in 2024 arson case

TROUP – A Smith County Grand Jury has indicted a man for his involvement in the June 2024 arson of a Troup mobile home, leading to his arrest. The indictment states that Raymond Earl Thorndyke IV of Bonham was charged in August 2025 with arson of a mobile home located in the 700 block of East Paschal Street in Troup. According to the indictment, Thorndyke used a device to ignite an ignitable liquid inside the mobile home, setting it on fire. Natalie Nulf, a 35-year-old woman from Troup, was detained for the arson and entered a guilty plea in November 2025.

Nulf and Thorndyke both spent the night together before the house caught fire, according to an affidavit. Shortly before smoke could be seen coming from the house, both were also seen getting into a car and driving off. According to the affidavit, the property owner was contacted and stated that he had made multiple attempts to evict Nulf due to her nonpayment of rent. Thorndyke was granted ten years of probation after entering a guilty plea to a previous assault charge in April 2024. However, this probation was later revoked in October 2024, and Thorndyke was sentenced to three years in prison with credit for 177 days served.