Man Allegedly Sets Neighbor's House On Fire After Hearing Rumors About Him Being A Pedophile

A Florida man was arrested Monday for allegedly torching his neighbor’s mobile home based on rumors about him being a pedophile. The victim of the incident was not at home when his house was in flames, leading to minor damages caused by the fire in early December.

Kenneth Bryant, 42, was arrested in the 1600 block of NE 25th Avenue in Ocala and taken into custody for reportedly starting the fire. He was living with his grandmother at the Wagon Wheel Mobile Home Park when the incident took place on Dec. 3, according to WESH 2 News.

On the day he committed the crime, Bryant allegedly told another resident that he wanted to burn the neighbor’s house because he was not fond of him. He told her that he had heard rumors about the neighbor being a “pedophile” before reportedly igniting the victim's mobile home on fire.

“Let it burn,” Bryant told his aunt after he sparked up the fire, according to details revealed by the police.

Meanwhile, the arson victim was at a nearby mini-mart looking at fire trucks. He returned to the mobile home park to find fire trucks near his house.

The flames were put out, and arson investigators told police officers that they suspected the fire being intentionally ignited. They also found a small pile of papers and a lighter among the fire’s remains.

The fire left the mobile home with minor damages, the police said. The victim also spoke to investigators and said he suspects his neighbor, Bryant, set his house on fire.

The police could not find the accused arsonist at the scene but spoke to a neighbor, who told them that Bryant thought the victim was a child molester and wanted to torch his house because of it.

Bryant was arrested Monday and taken to the Marion County Jail, according to CBS affiliate News 6 WKMG.

While speaking to the police, Bryant said he could not remember anything about setting the victim’s house on fire and admitted he was highly intoxicated at the time, according to the arrest report. However, he did confirm that he did not like the neighbor because of the pedophile rumors. Bryant faces a charge of arson in connection with the incident.