Man Arrested After Setting Miami Beach Bus Stop on Fire

Cedric Jones

​Cedric Jones, 44, has a hot temper. On June 17, the homeless man was denied a ride on a public bus in Miami Beach. So he decided to drench a bus shelter in gasoline, throw a match on it, and run off.

Four people were in the shelter, located at Collins Ave and 38th Street, at the time. They all escaped safely. Jones later told police: "I could have burned all of those people if I wanted to."

Jones was finally arrested yesterday. Where did police find him? Another bus stop, of course. He'll be charged with first-degree arson of an occupied structure. [Herald]

Click through for the rest of today's news roundup.

• 42-year-old Victor Caraballo has been convicted of the brutal 2002 rape and killing of a teenage girl and the kidnapping of her boyfriend on Miami Beach. He was one of five suspects, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned his life sentence because they believe the judged erred by allowing a mental health expert to testify against him. [CBS4]
• HCA (the company gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott used to run, by the by) has agreed to buy Mercy Hospital in Coconut Grove. [BizWeek]
• A 2-year-old girl was found wandering alone inside a Cutler Bay Chuck E. Cheese's restaurant. DCF has located the parents but still isn't sure why she was alone. [CBS4]
• Maya, a 9-year-old chow, was found near death in a foreclosed house. Her owners didn't reside in the house and had been searching for her since June 10. Miami-Dade Animal Services photographed her in the house but didn't do anything because, technically, an animal in an empty house isn't illegal. Finally, the property manager rescued her. [Herald]
• Health officials are warning people to stay out of the canal waters affected by a 20 million gallon sewage spill. Well, duh. [NBCMiami]