By Stephanie Wang, Times Staff Writer
Sunday, April 22, 2012
TAMPA — A Tampa man poured gasoline over his mother's empty bed and lit it on fire, destroying his family's home early Sunday, according to an arrest affidavit.
The day before, Tampa police had arrested 18-year-old Aldwin Chrystian Caceres on a domestic violence charge. Fighting over a cellphone, Caceres head-butted his mother twice to her forehead, the arrest affidavit said.
After his release from jail, Caceres returned to the family home on N 17th Street, north of Busch Boulevard. He covered his mother's empty bed in gasoline and ignited the soaked furniture, the affidavit said. An unidentified juvenile witnessed the incident and ran home to tell a relative to call police.
Tampa Fire Rescue responded shortly after midnight Saturday and extinguished the fire. Nobody was home at the time, according to fire officials. The house, valued around $20,000, was a total loss.
Caceres later admitted setting fire to the bed and two living room couches, the affidavit said. He told police he had been in a dispute with his mother.
Charged with first-degree arson, Caceres was being held in Hillsborough County jail Sunday without bail.