LEESBURG, Florida—A man who admitted setting the Leesburg Masonic Lodge on fire turned himself in late Thursday.
Luke Scott Pratt, 22, of Leesburg told an investigator with the Department of Financial Services, Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigations he was mad at what the lodge stands for and he believed “they” were following him, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Pratt told the investigator he sat in the parking lot of a nearby bowling alley with binoculars and waited until everyone exited the building, located at 200 Richey Road, before smashing the front door with a baseball bat and dousing the entire building with gasoline before setting it ablaze with matches. The crime was captured on video and Pratt was identified as the perpetrator in the video by several people, according to the affidavit.
Explosive devices were recovered from Pratt’s home, located within a mile of the lodge, and a relative told the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Pratt admitted to starting the fire while he was at her home in Marion County. She called the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and Pratt was Baker Acted.
The investigator secured a search warrant for Pratt’s home and vehicle and found a pair of binoculars and a hat that matched the hat Pratt was wearing in the surveillance video. Journals that detailed Pratt’s dislike for the Masonic Lodge were found in his home, according to the affidavit.
A warrant for arson and burglary was issued for Pratt’s arrest Thursday and he turned himself in at the Lake County Jail just before midnight Friday. He is being held on $15,000 bond.
