SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A man wanted in connection with what police say is a “gruesome case” in which a victim was tortured during a home invasion on Roosevelt Ave in Springfield, Massachusetts, was arrested in Florida on Thursday.

In September 2019, a man was seriously injured during a home invasion on the 600 block of Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield. Springfield Police Spokesperson Ryan Walsh said there was marijuana growing inside the home, and the victim told police that was likely the reason he was targeted.

The victim was robbed, kidnapped, tortured, and badly burned after being set on fire. The victim had to electronically transfer $4,000 to a third party’s account before the suspects left the home.

A Springfield officer was flagged down by a person on Roosevelt Avenue where they found the victim suffering from burns all over his body. The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center and had to be transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston due to receiving second and third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body.

Detectives with the Springfield police were able to trace bank transactions to the account where the money was deposited. In October 2019, the police arrested the bank account suspect, Devenne Colemon, a woman who was charged with two counts of larceny over $1,200 and witness intimidation.

Two more suspects were arrested in November 2019, Malik Erskine and Paul Gayle in connection to a home invasion. Gayle was sentenced to 35 to 40 years in state prison and Erskine was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison after they were found guilty of numerous charges.

In December 2019, Springfield police said another suspect was arrested, their identity and charges were not released due to their age.

Jamaican national arrested in Florida on Jan. 17th

Another suspect was wanted in connection with the home invasion, 26-year-old Dushane Jerome Simon of Jamaica. Springfield police say that Simon was wearing a Massachusetts Probation Department GPS ankle bracelet during the attack. Police believe he left the area since his GPS bracelet was later found on the side of I-495 in eastern Massachusetts.

On Thursday, Simon was arrested in Panama City Beach, Florida by members of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office Criminal and Special Investigations Divisions along with the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office said that the wanted fugitive, Simon is also an illegal alien, someone who is not authorized to be in the country. They said he was wanted in connection with the gruesome case and was contacted by Massachusetts law enforcement on Wednesday requesting help in locating him.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division set up surveillance and found Simon at an apartment on Panama City Beach. When members of the sheriff’s office and U.S. Marshals approached Simon, he jumped from a third-story balcony and ran away into the woods.

Simon was quickly captured and booked as a fugitive from justice at the Bay County Jail. He is being held subject to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a Jamaican citizen. The Sheriff’s Office said that Simon does not have a valid visa and a history of arrest. He has a final deportation order and will be deported from the country upon his release from custody.