Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Gerrit W. Stewart, 50, was arrested late last night and charged with arson of a dwelling after allegedly setting a fire in the living room of an apartment.

Gainesville Police Department responded to an apartment at Southern Pines yesterday after a caller reported that Stewart said everyone in the apartment was going to burn in hell and then lit a fire in the living room with a lighter.

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Post Miranda, Stewart reportedly said his boyfriend was in the bathroom with another man, “having an intimate liaison” to deliberately antagonize him. He said he was not upset but was just trying to light a candle with wads of paper when it “got out of hand.” He said he tried to put out the fire by dousing it with water from a coffee pot.

Stewart has five felony convictions (two violent) and five misdemeanor convictions (one violent). He has served one prison sentence for forgery and was released in 2015. Judge Walter Green set bail at $75,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.