A 52-year-old Edgewater man has been arrested for arson after he allegedly set fire to an abandoned trailer in his mobile home park because residents “wanted it gone.”
On Wednesday, May 27, around 11:30 p.m., local firefighters responded to a reported trailer fire at the Wolf’s-Driftwood Mobile Home Park in Edgewater, according to the Edgewater Police Department.
After the blaze was extinguished, investigators determined that the fire appeared to have been intentionally set.
During the ensuing investigation, EPD detectives obtained surveillance footage from a nearby residence that captured a suspect starting the fire.
Detectives ultimately identified the suspect as Dean Settle, who also resides in the mobile home park.
When interviewed by detectives and shown the surveillance video, Settle reportedly admitted to setting the fire, stating, “There’s no denying that’s me.”
Settle allegedly told investigators that he set the blaze because everyone in the mobile home park “wanted (the trailer) gone,” according to Edgewater police.
On Friday, May 29, Settle was placed under arrest and booked into Volusia County Jail, where he remains in custody without bond. He is being charged with first-degree arson.