 |
| Photo Credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) |
Published May 24th, 2025
_________
Lakeland, FL — A violent early morning house fire in Lakeland has led to the arrest of a convicted felon and registered sexual offender on multiple charges, including five counts of attempted first-degree murder.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a house fire on Dawn Heights Drive just after 3:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 15, 2025. Five residents were inside the home at the time of the blaze. Two suffered serious injuries, one of whom required emergency surgery.
Investigators quickly determined that 69-year-old Eddie Lee Thomas, a resident of the home, was responsible for intentionally setting the fire. Earlier that morning, Thomas reportedly entered another resident’s bedroom asking for a ride, then for jumper cables. When denied, he left the room holding a plastic milk jug filled with an unknown liquid.
Moments later, the victim reported smelling gasoline and hearing a loud "boom." He opened his bedroom door to find the hallway engulfed in flames. Despite using a walker and limited mobility, he crawled out of the house, suffering burns to his hands and feet.
Other victims described waking to shouts of “fire!” and scrambling to escape through windows or through heavy smoke and flames. One resident said he saw Thomas walking around the house moments before the fire, heard liquid splashing, and smelled kerosene. Outside, he noticed a trail of flames leading from a tree directly into the home.
State Fire Marshal investigators and a fire detection K-9 identified six accelerant alert points and two pour patternsinside the destroyed residence. Witnesses later saw Thomas fleeing in his red Chevrolet truck.
The landlord told detectives she received a call from one of the residents during the fire stating that Thomas had set the house ablaze. He had been served an eviction notice earlier in the month and was supposed to vacate the premises by May 20.
The home has been declared a total loss.
Sheriff Grady Judd condemned the act, stating:
This was a deliberate and dangerous act that put multiple lives at risk. Eddie Thomas showed a complete disregard for human life yet again when he set this fire, knowing the victims were inside. Thanks to our detectives, we have him in custody, and justice will be served.
Thomas was arrested on May 20 and is now facing five counts of attempted first-degree murder and first-degree arson.
Eddie Lee Thomas Criminal History (DOB 4/28/56):
- 18 felony arrests, 8 felony convictions
- Registered sex offender
- Four prior state prison sentences
- Convicted of second-degree murder in 1986 after fatally shooting his estranged wife
- Convicted of lewd/lascivious behavior with a minor in 2008, served 15 years
- Multiple violations of probation and arrests for failure to register as a sex offender
Thomas was last released from state prison in June 2023 and completed probation in January 2024.
He remains in custody at the Polk County Jail.
.jpg)
0 Comments