Suspected arsonist arrested as Bradford County motel engulfed in flames

LAWTEY, Fla. – A man suspected of intentionally starting a fire at the Economy Inn on U.S. 301 in Lawtey was arrested Thursday, according to the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Gordon Smith said the man -- later identified by the Sheriff’s Office as Christian Singleton, 42, of Atlantic Beach -- walked next door to a convenience store and said he had a bomb next door, prompting a call to law enforcement.

Smith said deputies found the man and were talking with him outside, but he tried to run and got into a scuffle with the deputies. The Sheriff’s Office said three deputies received minor injuries, including one who was bitten.

“One officer had a busted lip. Another had a back injury. Another got bit,” Smith said. “He was actively fighting the officers and being very combative, but they are fine.”

The Sheriff’s Office said Singleton was taken to a hospital in Gainesville for evaluation but was released about 2 p.m. and booked into the Bradford County jail a short time later on arson-related and other charges.

At his first appearance Friday morning, Singleton was ordered to be held on more than $3 million bond for 10 charges, including arson to an occupied dwelling, property damage, making false bomb threats, resisting arrest and four counts of battery on a law enforcement officer.

Singleton also faces two warrants out of Duval County, one for criminal mischief and one for domestic battery in the presence of a child.

He was appointed a public defender for his Bradford County case and the two warrants out of Duval County.

The hotel was fully engulfed Thursday morning and flames and black smoke poured from the building as crews tried to control the fire.

“We actually had the fire under control and the fire was just about out and then come to find out after making the arrest with the gentleman -- he put up a fight -- (he) explained that he had a bomb in the truck (parked in front of his room where the fire started),” Smith explained. “Then we had to stop and back up away from the scene, which is really upsetting to those in the fire division because they worked so hard, as you can see, to get this thing extinguished and it never would have spread.”

The suspected arsonist dropped a backpack he was carrying in the parking lot of the convenience store next door to the motel during his arrest and said it had a bomb inside, investigators said.

The Alachua County Bomb Squad was called to the motel to investigate that backpack and two other suspicious packages at the motel property.

The Bomb Squad put a controlled bomb on the backpack and detonated it. It did not find any explosives but found pieces of electronic parts.

Smith said the suspicious items at the motel were also cleared, allowing firefighters to continue fighting the blaze.

A second alarm was called, bringing help from Clay County Fire Rescue, including a ladder truck and additional firefighters.

News4Jax was told one firefighter had a minor injury but continued to help contain the fire.

The state fire marshal’s office is handling the fire investigation.

Nine families were staying at the Economy Inn, including the hotel owners, who live at the property. The fire displaced 17 people in total, who lost all of their belongings and are now working with the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Investigators said the building is a total loss after the fire covered the entire length of the motel. The owners of the motel have owned it for five years and also lived there. They were working on remodeling.

“It’s a tragic loss for them,” Smith said.

Kevin Mellington told News4Jax he had been staying at the motel for several months.

“When I went to go to work, there was a guy walking around like he was kind of upset this morning,” Mellington said. “I’m upset because I’ve been staying here off and on for like four, five years. The other owners used to be here. I used to stay here when they stayed here. This is just a total waste. It’s uncalled for.”

Investigators said the suspected arsonist’s truck, which had been parked in front of his hotel room that he checked into Thursday morning, had to be towed to a safe distance by deputies because of the concern of explosives.

“We still don’t have the answer of why. That’s what our detectives are doing is trying to figure out: what was the reason behind this chaos,” Smith said. “We’ve still got to get those answers.”

FBI Jacksonville also responded to the scene because of the explosive device threat and because the suspect was “on their radar,” the sheriff said.

Authorities said Singleton had a warrant out for his arrest stemming from a domestic violence incident with his girlfriend earlier this week in the Jacksonville area.

“That’s the reason we reached out early on for another person in Jacksonville that was apparently the girlfriend in this and make sure she was OK because we didn’t know why was he setting the room on fire, why was he planting explosives,” Smith said.

The sheriff said that’s how they learned Singleton had ties to the Jacksonville area and have confirmed the woman is safe.

News4Jax got a call from a woman crying on the phone, saying she’s Singletons ex-girlfriend. Court records show an injunction for protection filed against him in 2014 by the same woman who called the newsroom.

There were heavy traffic delays in the area, including on U.S. 301, and authorities asked people to avoid the area if possible.

“We’re just fortunate right now all we have is minor injuries,” Smith said. “This could have really turned in another direction.”

Smith also thanked the community for stepping up to help. The Sheriff’s Office said Slice and Dice BBQ, Thompson’s Mobile Home Repair and North Florida Starke ER provided food and drinks to personnel at the scene.