Bradenton man set fires inside Publix. He is sentenced on federal arson conviction
A 50-year-old Bradenton man was sentenced to five years in prison for setting fires inside a Publix store on three separate occasions, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Robert Timon Lovett pleaded guilty on Sept. 29 to arson. U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced him Thursday, the release said.
Court documents said Lovett started a fire inside a Publix grocery store during business hours on three consecutive nights last year beginning on Christmas Day, 2020.
On Dec. 26 and 27, Lovett purchased lighter fluid he used to start the fires at the store, with the fire on Dec. 26 causing significant heat damage to the back of the store, the DOJ said in the release.
On Dec. 28, Lovett was arrested when he returned to the same Publix store to purchase more lighter fluid, DOJ said.
The release did not identify the store where the fires occurred.
The news release said Lovett confessed to starting the fires each of the preceding three days. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case with assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally prosecuting it, the release said.
