Florida firebombing suspect arrested in Pickens County

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Jason Roberts. Photo courtesy of Pickens County Sheriff's Office

PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. - A Florida man accused of firebombing a rival insurance business earlier this year has been captured in Pickens County following a multi-agency investigation.

What we know:

Jason Roberts, 46, was arrested on July 17 by deputies from the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office after being located with the help of the department’s Criminal Investigations Division and patrol deputies. Roberts was wanted in connection to a violent act of vandalism that occurred in the early morning hours of March 20 in Lake Wales, Florida.

According to Lake Wales Daily, Roberts is the primary suspect in the firebombing and shooting at UniVista Insurance. Investigators say two Molotov cocktails were thrown through the front lobby glass of the building, and the words "Civil War Trump" were spray-painted across the window. A bullet was also fired into the structure, traveling through multiple walls before becoming lodged in a back room.

Surveillance footage from the scene reportedly led detectives to identify a light-colored Toyota Prius as a possible suspect vehicle. That car was linked to SaraPath Diagnostics, where Roberts worked as a courier supervisor. He reportedly stopped showing up to work the same day as the incident and resigned shortly after. SaraPath officials told police Roberts had no business being in Lake Wales at the time of the attack.

Further investigation revealed Roberts is the brother of Regina Waldrop, co-owner of Logical Insurance—an agency located in the same plaza as the vandalized UniVista office.

After months of tracking leads, Lake Wales detectives determined Roberts was in North Georgia and contacted the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies located and arrested Roberts in Jasper without incident.

Roberts faces multiple felony charges, including: