POLK COUNTY, Fla. — On Tuesday, a convicted felon and registered sexual offender was arrested in Polk County for attempted 1st degree murder after officers responded to a house fire, confirming five residents inside and two with serious injuries.
At around 3:15 a.m., law enforcement identified 69-year-old Eddie Thomas, a resident of the home, as the individual who ignited the fire. He has a criminal background, having been sentenced to 17 years for second-degree murder in 1986.
Every victim reported a strong smell of gasoline and observed that the hallway floor was wet and slippery. Investigators from the State Fire Marshal, accompanied by their canine, identified six points where accelerants were detected and noted two pour patterns.
Thomas entered a resident’s room and asked for a ride. When denied, he requested jumper cables to “give him a jump.” The victim refused, noting that Thomas held a plastic milk jug with an unknown liquid.
After Thomas left, the victim smelled gas and heard a “boom.” He opened his bedroom door to flames in the hallway. With limited mobility and using a walker, he fell while trying to reach the front door and crawled outside, suffering burns on his hand and feet.
He was transported to a local hospital and then transferred to a hospital in Bradenton for burn care.
Another victim was asleep when he heard someone yell that the house was on fire. He tried to exit through the hallway but couldn’t reach the door because of the flames and had to crawl out of his bedroom window.
A third victim woke to yelling and fled his bedroom to the front door, where he fell over another resident already on the ground, trying to escape.
The fourth victim reported getting up to use the restroom and seeing Thomas walking around the house, which he noted was common. He heard splashing noises, smelled kerosene, and then a noise resembling a fire being lit. He heard someone yell, “Fire!” and left his bedroom, but he couldn’t see the front door due to the smoke. While running, he fell.
Outside the house, he observed a trail of fire going from an oak tree to the front yard, leading directly into the house.
The fifth and final victim could not be interviewed as he required emergency surgery for his injuries.
Two victims saw Thomas back out of the yard in his red Chevrolet truck and flee the scene.
The home was declared a total loss.
<i>“This was a deliberate and dangerous act that put multiple lives at risk. Eddie Thomas showed a complete disregard for human life yet again when he set this fire, knowing the victims were inside. Thanks to our detectives, we have him in custody, and justice will be served.”</i>
— -Grady Judd, Sheriff.
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