Florida man sets fire to church, house patio in mysterious act, police say
Pictured: Rodney Deangelo Ferguson (Credit: Ocala Police Department)
OCALA, Fla. - A Florida man is facing charges for some unsettling events that took place in Ocala in the early morning hours Wednesday, according to police.
Rodney Deangelo Ferguson, 43, was arrested by police on two counts of arson after someone witnessed him spark fires at a church and on the patio of a nearby home, the Ocala Police Department said in a news release.
At around 1 a.m. Wednesday, Ferguson reportedly walked up to the Isom Memorial Church on SW 4th Street and set its front door on fire, causing visible damage, a witness told authorities.
That same witness saw Ferguson walk toward SW Martin Luther King Avenue where he reportedly set a laundry machine located on a resident's patio on fire. The patio awning was also visibly damaged.
Pictured: Rodney Deangelo Ferguson (Credit: Ocala Police Department)
Firefighters responded to the area and put both of the fires out. No one was hurt.
Ferguson was found about two blocks north of the patio fire by police. He had two lighters and was carrying a half-full, open beer can in his back pocket, police said.
The witness positively identified him as the arson suspect.
He was booked into the Marion County jail where he is being held on a $10,000 bond for each arson charge and a $500 bond for an open container charge, jail records show.