A gay man in
Lakeland, Fla., who reached out for help after claiming that
his mobile home had been torched by arsonists, has been
charged with the crime, The Ledger newspaper
reports. A Lakeland fire investigator on Wednesday
charged Christopher Michael Robertson, 23, with one
count of arson, burning to defraud an insurer, two
counts of false and fradulent insurance claims, and making a
false report to a law enforcement officer, according
to the Lakeland Fire Department.
The July 25 fire
gutted the home Roberston shared with his partner, Paul
Day, at Kings Manor Mobile Home Park. Several valuables were
stolen--including a TV and a laptop
computer--and "Die fag'' was spray-painted on
the front steps of the home, the couple told Lakeland
firefighters, making the fire appear to be a hate crime.
Robertson
confessed to the crime, saying he wanted insurance money
from the mobile home, said Lakeland fire spokeswoman
Cheryl Edwards. He also said he used the fire as a
"scare tactic'' to motivate his partner into
moving out of the mobile home park, Edwards added. Day,
who was interviewed by The Advocate in
September, had no knowledge of his partner's setting the
fire and was not charged, the fire department said.
(Advocate.com)