An ex-fireman in Florida is accused of setting an intentional fire to steal from a local Walmart, CBS 12 reports.
Kenneth Gray, a former West Palm Beach firefighter, was charged with first-degree arson and petty theft on Tuesday for the fire that damaged the superstore last month.
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Palm Beach County deputies claim that Gray loaded a cart, positioned it near the front entrance of the store, then ignited a fire to cause a distraction while he made out with the slew of unpaid items. Employees were too busy trying to extinguish the flames to catch the suspect.
According to Gray’s arrest report, his wife, a woman and a child were also at the store at the time of the incident.
The blaze, which was believed to be set with either a lighter or a match, is estimated to have caused more than $40,000 in damage to the Walmart.
Since the October 26 incident, investigators combed through surveillance footage to identify Gray, who was fired from the county fire department earlier this year, as the suspect.
Gray made his first court appearance on Wednesday, where the judge read his charges and set a $25,000 bail.
“This could have injured many people in the Walmart store,” a state attorney said in court, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Court records show that Gray is also facing other theft and burglary charges, including an arrest in September. On that charge, the state attorney indicated that Gray’s bond will be revoked, meaning he will remain in jail despite the judge’s set bail on the new charges.
The former firefighter was arrested after he was suspected of stealing an electrical saw from a city fire rescue ambulance. Video footage from a local pawn show showed Gray’s wife pawning the saw.
On that charge, Gray admitted to stealing the saw, as well as a thermal imaging camera, from his former employer.
