On Thursday, September 13, 2012, a Columbia County man set himself on fire after he attacked two people with a baseball bat.
Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a residence on SE Margaret St. at approximately 11:15 p.m. When deputies arrived at the home, they found the suspect standing in the front yard engulfed in flames. Deputies were able to place the suspect on the ground and extinguish the fire on the suspect’s clothes and hair.
Deputies determined that the suspect, for unknown reasons, attacked two people in the home with a wooden baseball bat. The suspect first attacked his girlfriend and struck her about the body, possibly causing a broken arm. The suspect then went into another bedroom and attacked a male subject as he slept, striking him about the neck and face. Both victims were treated by emergency medical services for non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect was transported to Shands UF in Gainesville for treatment of his burn injuries. Deputies were able to recover a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter at the scene. A baseball bat was discovered inside the home. The current medical condition of the suspect is not known at this time due to health care privacy regulations.
When the suspect is medically cleared and released from the hospital, he will be transported to the Columbia County Detention Facility and booked on Aggravated Battery charges.
Arrested (PENDING RELEASE FROM HOSPITAL)
Robert Drew Manson, 9/01/1963
Address withheld for domestic violence victim privacy
Charges: Aggravated Battery (2 counts)
