Eddie Lee Thomas, who has an extensive criminal history, had served 17 years in prison for murdering his wife back in 1986.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A man from Lakeland, known for his “extensive criminal history,” has been arrested once more. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the man is accused of setting a house ablaze while his housemates were asleep.
The suspect, 69-year-old Eddie Lee Thomas, previously served a 17-year prison sentence for killing his wife in front of their four children in 1986, as Sheriff Judd explained during a press briefing on Friday. In addition, Thomas was labeled a sex offender in 2007 following an arrest for sexually assaulting a minor aged between 12 and 16.
Now, he is charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder and arson.
The suspected arson took place on Thursday, May 15, as deputies reacted to reports about a fire at a residence on Dawn Heights Drive in Lakeland, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
Deputies arrived to find that five people were in the burning home, with two of them suffering serious injuries. Through their investigation, detectives determined that Thomas, who lived at the home, was responsible for setting the fire.
“Earlier that morning, at approximately 3:15 a.m., Thomas entered another resident’s bedroom and asked for a ride,” deputies said. “When the request was denied, he then asked for jumper cables to ‘give him a jump.'”
When the roommate refused Thomas’ request due to the time, they reportedly noticed that the 69-year-old “was holding a plastic milk jug containing an unknown liquid.”
“During this period of time… (the roommate) gets up to go to the bathroom and he sees Eddie wandering around the house,” Judd said.
The roommate claimed to have heard “splashing noises” before smelling kerosene and hearing a noise similar to a fire being ignited, the sheriff added.
“What we know now, he was splashing accelerant in front of every bedroom down the hallway and tried to create a fire barrier so they could not run out of the house,” Judd said.
One of the roommates required emergency surgery for their injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Two others reportedly witnessed Thomas taking off in his Red Chevrolet truck.
The home was a total loss, and on May 20, deputies eventually found and arrested Thomas.
“This man’s dangerous,” Judd said. “Our goal is that he never takes a breath of air outside of prison, but I want to underscore that he tried to murder five people that night.”
