LAKE ALFRED, Fla. — A 35-year-old man is behind bars after deputies said he set a house on fire while a 4-month-old baby and cat were inside Thursday afternoon in Lake Alfred.
On Oct. 24, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said that deputies arrived at the home on Sunset Circle Lake at around 2 p.m. following a report of a family argument.
Authorities reportedly saw lots of smoke coming from inside the home and quickly began to remove everyone who was inside while evacuating neighboring homes. Deputies tried to use fire extinguishers to put out the danger, but the fire was too large to be contained.
Polk County Fire Rescue arrived shortly after and put out the fire, but the home was still severely damaged, the sheriff's office said.
In their investigation, PCSO found Beasley Jr. and a woman got into an argument over his drug addiction. The argument escalated, and the woman locked herself in the bathroom with the baby to escape any fighting with the 35-year-old man. However, Beasley Jr. broke into the bathroom but then ran outside the home after the woman threatened to call 911.
Deputies said the woman locked the front door to protect herself, but she then heard a loud noise coming from outside the home. Witnesses told authorities that's when they saw the house on fire and yelled to the woman to get out of it.
According to PCSO, Beasley Jr. exited the backyard of the home while telling the woman to get the baby from inside the house because he just set it on fire.
The sheriff's office said the woman was able to escape the home with the baby, but her pet cat did not make it out of the house and was found dead after the fire was extinguished.
Law enforcement officials found Beasley Jr. a few streets away from the home and arrested him.
PCSO charged him with attempted murder, animal cruelty, false imprisonment, tampering with a witness and arson. Deputies said they are still investigating the incident.
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