Woman arrested after starting fire at MDSO station

A woman accused of walking into the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office station, pouring gasoline and setting it on fire was arrested on Friday, deputies said.

Towana Findlay, 36, was charged with attempted second-degree murder of law enforcement and first-degree arson.

During her court appearance on Saturday, Findlay told the judge she wanted to plea guilty, but the judge said she is only setting her bond.

The judge denied Findlay’s bond.

According to deputies, Findlay, on Friday, went to a gas station at 5 NE 79th Street and bought two gallons of Tampico juice and prepaid $5 for gas.

An arrest report said Findlay then went outside, poured out the juice and then filled the empty containers with gasoline. Roughly an hour after filling the containers with gasoline, she entered the MDSO station.

A deputy who was working in the front lobby of the station saw Findlay coming in and holding a grocery bag and her purse, the report said.

Findlay, the report said, was seen putting her items on a chair in the lobby, and then she grabbed the gallon that was filled with gasoline and started to pour it on the lobby’s counter and the floor. The deputy then radioed for backup and saw Findley taking out a lighter and lighting up the gasoline, which immediately caught on fire.

She was then seen leaving the station, but was detained, the report said.

The fire at the station was quickly extinguished, and there were no injuries reported.