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Homeless man arrested for setting 2 Orlando homes on fire

ORLANDO, Fla. — A homeless man will face serious charges after setting two Orlando homes on fire as their occupants slept, police said.

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On Monday, police said Lloyd Courtney Roberts, 48, was walking through the Park Lake/Highland neighborhood when he used a lighter to ignite decorative wreaths hanging on the front door of both homes around 6:45 a.m.

One of the owners told Eyewitness News a neighbor walked past the home shortly after and spotted the burning mess, which had fallen to the ground. The quick-thinking woman used a garden hose to put the flames out before calling 911, they said.

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Watch the surveillance video below:

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Investigators said the other house’s front door was still on fire when they arrived. A security camera video shared by the owner shows a man resembling Roberts setting the wreath and door on fire.

Police said Roberts left the scene, but he was quickly arrested after a separate caller reporting a suspicious person brought them to him.

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Roberts was charged with two counts of arson and two counts of criminal mischief. He was granted a $12,000 bond, but remained in jail as of Friday night.

Neither home was seriously damaged, but both will need their front doors replaced, the homeowners said.

Roberts’ potential motivation was not known.

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Adam Poulisse, WFTV.com

Adam Poulisse joined WFTV in November 2019.