Officials: Sex battery suspect taken into custody near burning Osceola home

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A modified lockdown at Hickory Tree Elementary has been lifted Thursday afternoon following the arrest of an accused sexual battery suspect in Osceola County, authorities said.

Deputies said they were trying to serve a search warrant for Samuel Fertic, 45, but Fertic barricaded himself inside a home.

“We had every available resource here, including our SWAT team and specialty units,” said Twis Lizasuain of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office. %

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Just before noon, a fire started in Fertic's home, but fire crews could not respond.

“It was a dangerous situation. So as a result of that, fire crews could not be allowed on the property until it could be evaluated,” said Lizasuain.

Fertic came out from underneath the burning home and authorities sprayed him with water..

Authorities said Fertic was taken to St. Cloud Regional Medical Center, and was later booked into the Osceola County Jail.

Fertic has an extensive criminal history for drugs and other related crimes, Lizasuain said.

Fertic was convicted for killing his ex-wife in Texas in 2001, officials said.  %

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He was indicted on a murder charge, and a jury found him guilty on a lesser charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

During Fertic's trial, friends told stories of repeated abuse and bruises they'd seen on his ex-wife’s body.

Fertic served a 10-year prison sentence for her death.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice released him in 2011.

The District Attorney's Office took no action on kidnapping and false imprisonment charges in 2012, and felony battery charges he faced in Osceola County just last year were dropped.

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