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HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A man is facing multiple charges, including child abuse, after deputies saw him throw a Molotov cocktail out of his car window, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said.
According to an arrest report, the deputies were conducting patrols in Brooksville when they saw the man, Ricky Thomas, driving recklessly in the area of California Street and Narrow Street.
When they tried to pull him over, they saw Thomas throw something out his window.
Deputies said Thomas and his vehicle reeked of gasoline.
Investigators later learned Thomas had parked his car in his ex-girlfriend’s driveway and had been harassing her and a minor for several hours.
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At one point, he got out of his vehicle and started arguing with his ex. When the minor tried to intervene, Thomas struck him in the head, then picked him up and carried him off the patio toward his car. The boy was able to break free and run into the home. The child suffered several injuries during the incident.
Deputies said Thomas filled a plastic water bottle with gasoline and made a Molotov cocktail. He had poured gasoline around the property and planned to set the home on fire.
“Deputies located the Molotov Cocktail in the area where they observed Thomas throw something out the car window,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. “Fortunately, deputies observed, and were able to detain Thomas, before he deployed the device.”
Thomas was arrested and charged with child abuse, false imprisonment, and discharge/place destructive devices. He is being held on a $15,000 bond.
