A Marion County man is facing charges for allegedly lighting eight Molotov cocktails outside the Department of Children and Families office in Ocala back in November, according to authorities.
According to new court records, Tommy Holt had 18 different interactions with DCF and his five children had been taken away from him before showing up with the homemade firebombs. He is now facing federal charges for manufacturing and possession of explosive devices. He is set to be arraigned on those charges next week.
Sunny Patel, an eyewitness to the situation back in November, said she remembers seeing Holt hanging outside an Ocala gas station, begging others and even convincing another customer to buy him a 12-pack of Bud Light.
“It was early morning, I think, and he came in and asked about a gas, a gallon or something,” Patel recalled.
Gas station surveillance captured Holt walking with the beers and a small canister of gasoline. Investigators said workers at a nearby auto parts business spotted him emptying some of the bottles of beer.
Shortly after that, records show Holt was outside the DCF office and he had filled eight of the bottles with gasoline, and placed a paper wick in each one.
“They said he tried to do something, blow out the place, the whole place with the beer,” Patel said.
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Outside DCF, in an employee smoking area, workers saw Holt light several of the bottles, including one in his hand.
Records state that Holt “seemed poised to throw the bottle in his hand, he dropped it onto the ground” presumably because it became too hot to handle.
Holt fled, but was caught a short distance away and was carrying a lighter and smelled like gasoline, investigators said. The gas can was found by a dumpster at a nearby business.
Holt was arrested by police for attempted arson. But since then, ATF agents have also been investigating the case, and he is now facing the federal charges. The state charges were dropped the same day he was charged federally.
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