LAKE CITY, Fla. — A Lake City man is facing charges of attempted felony homicide and arson after authorities said he intentionally set fire to a home while a woman was inside.
Marvin Roberts, 71, was taken into custody early Tuesday after firefighters found him hiding in a shed behind the burning residence.
Officers responded to the home at 324 SE Colburn Ave. just after 1 a.m. on Feb. 18. Officers arrived and found heavy black smoke coming from the home. The homeowner told authorities that Roberts, her ex-boyfriend, was still believed to be on the property.
Lake City Fire Department extinguished the blaze. While searching the property, firefighters located Roberts inside a storage shed behind the home, a Lake City police news release states.
Columbia County EMS treated him at the scene before he was transported to HCA Florida Lake City Hospital for further medical treatment.
Lake City police investigators and state arson officials identified two separate points of origin inside the residence that showed evidence that an accelerant was used to start the fires, the news release states.
Investigators established probable cause that Roberts intentionally set the fires while the homeowner was still inside the structure.
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