A Florida man with an alleged penchant for fire reportedly tried to light himself on fire after being apprehended for setting trash bins ablaze and stealing the fire truck of the district fire chief.
On the evening of November 23, a suspect reportedly went to an office building in Cocoa Village and set fire to their dumpster.
When the authorities learned of the blaze and went to the scene, they were issued a second notification alerting them of another trash bin that had been set on fire at a nearby pavilion in a local park.
Approximately 30-minutes after the second dumpster fire was reported, the authorities were told that someone had activated a fire alarm in a nearby location. While they searched for the culprit they noticed that the fire chief’s F-150 was not where he had left it, and they suspected that the person involved in the string of events was the one who had taken it.
The chief’s truck was recovered at a Bank of America, and the search for the suspect remained unsuccessful for the next three days. The authorities believed the person they were searching for had a tribal tattoo sleeve wearing a blue shirt and light-colored shorts, which gave them a bit of purported identifying information.
The following Tuesday, the authorities were made aware of a man that was reportedly tossing a brick around in the parking lot of the North Rockledge location of the Community Credit Union. The man allegedly proceeded to urinate and was pulling up the grass with his hands outside the drive-thru banking area.
When the police arrived at the credit union, they identified the suspect as 43-year-old Michael Simpson. He was taken into custody and transported to the Brevard County Jail where he was booked on charges for arson, criminal mischief, and breach of the peace.
While at the jail, Simpson allegedly whipped out a match and attempted to incinerate the tank top he was wearing.
He is being held on a $17,500 bond for the accusations.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.