Florida man sets shoe on fire to stay warm, drunkenly passes out in front of office building: police

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LADY LAKE, Fla. - A Florida man has found himself behind bars after he allegedly set one of his shoes on fire to stay warm and then drunkenly passed out, leaving the fire unattended, according to police.

Michael Dubberly, 38, was arrested and charged with disorderly intoxication and recreational fires after the incident that unfolded outside a real estate office in Lady Lake on Dec. 5, according to an affidavit from the Lady Lake Police Department.

When officers arrived at the scene in the 100 block of Highway 466, they found Dubberly passed out in front of the building with a shoe fully engulfed in flames right in front of him, police said. The fire, which was located less than 5 feet from the front entrance of the building, was extinguished by an officer.

Lying next to Dubberly were a few cans of alcoholic beverages; one was empty, another half-full and a third left unopened, police said.

Photo: Lake County Sheriffs Office

Police said that Dubberly built a warming fire and left it unattended by passing out while there was still a visible flame and smoke.

Dubberly was taken into custody and agreed to speak to police post-Miranda. He said he started the fire to keep warm, and only said he drank one Mike's Hard Lemonade tall boy, the affidavit said. Police noted that Dubberly was "not steady on his feet" and was "hard to understand" when he spoke. They also said they could smell a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from him.

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Dubberly was transported to the Lake County Jail, where he remains on $1,000 bond.