SANIBEL, Fla. – A man was arrested late Wednesday night following a fire and burglary at a beach house on Sanibel Island.
The suspect, identified as Robert Latta Butterfield III, was arrested at the scene after allegedly breaking into one of the Seahorse Cottages vacation rentals where a group of French tourists were staying.
According to the property manager, Butterfield, who was reportedly naked at the time, was stabbed by someone inside the apartment during the break-in.
Hear what the neighbors saw:
“NAKED INTRUSION”: Man charged after break-in and fire in apartment building on Sanibel
When authorities arrived, they found a tiki hut engulfed in flames. The fire marshal is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire, which broke out in the backyard of the property.
Neighbors described the chaotic scene to Fox 4 News.
“When we woke up and looked outside and saw there was a huge fire, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this can’t happen again,'” said Robin Roberts-Lindsey, who lives on the property across the street from where the fire started.
Roberts-Lindsey said it was especially scary because they had lost their home in a fire before.
“I immediately started crying and had to gather together the things that were important to me,” Roberts-Lindsey explained. “I just kept thinking, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t lose everything again.'”
The fire burned through an adjacent gate and left a large hole between the two properties.
Roberts-Lindsey’s husband, Gary Lindsey, said smoke entered their home but they were able to escape safely.
“We got out of the house as quickly as we could,” he said. “The flames were probably 20 feet high, but luckily the fire department arrived pretty quickly.”
Detectives charged Butterfield with burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and criminal damage exceeding $1,000.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says Butterfield has a long criminal history in both Mississippi and Florida, including charges of drunken driving, burglary, aggravated assault, criminal damage and multiple counts of criminal damage to property.
