Arson

EUSTIS, Florida—A woman, apparently angry at her grandfather after an argument about money, set her mattress on fire Monday and almost set a vehicle on fire, but changed her mind, she told Eustis Police Department, according to an arrest affidavit.

Shortly before 6 p.m. Monday, EPD and Eustis Fire Department responded to a house fire at 2220 Titcomb Street; the victim told EPD he was sitting on the porch following an argument with granddaughter, Autumn Rose Walker, 22, when she came outside and said, “You’ll remember this,” and ran off down the road, the affidavit states.

The victim looked inside the front door and saw smoke, went around to the back door and saw more smoke, and he rescued his dog and called 9-1-1, according to the affidavit. A witness told officers he saw a white female standing near the rear of a green SUV and she had what appeared to be a white rag and lit it on fire; when he came out of the daycare the home was on fire, the affidavit states.

Another witness told police she saw a woman stumbling down the road and provided a photo she took to police.  

Officers located Walker walking down Orange Avenue near Cricket Hollow Lane several hours later, wearing a long sleeve shirt, black pants and one sock—the sock matched a singed sock found on the scene of the fire, the arresting officer noted in the affidavit.

Walker was uncooperative, refused to answer questions and said she just wanted to sit down on the sidewalk. One officer began to walk down the sidewalk to search for evidence while another officer continued to speak with Walker, and she told the officer she set her mattress on fire, according to the affidavit.

Walker told EPD she was arguing with her grandfather about money and was “frustrated and wanted to escape from him.” She said she set the mattress of fire using a Seneca cigarette because she “did not want to have a place to come back to,” and she felt the only way to stay away from the house was to set the mattress on fire, so she did not have a place to sleep.

She told police when she left her bedroom the mattress was on fire, and she went outside and lit her sock on fire. She said she was going to put it in the gas tank of the SUV but changed her mind and left. Walker said she knew her grandfather was in the house and figured he would put the fire out.

Walker was arrested for domestic arson and upon searching her, police found a blue lighter and a pack of Seneca cigarettes and Walker said that was the lighter she used to torch the mattress. Before she was placed in the back of a patrol vehicle she reportedly exclaimed, “I’m going to kill him!”

Walker was transported to the Lake County Jail, where she is being held on no bond.