DeLand, FL - Investigators say a man accused of setting his ex-girlfriend's home on fire is now in custody in Volusia County, facing charges related to arson and attempted murder.
Back on November 3rd, units with the DeLand Fire Department contacted the state's Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosive Investigations (BFAEI) following a residential fire at a Stone Street home. According to a report from the BFAEI, the owner of the home spoke to investigators and said that they were involved in a domestic dispute weeks before and her ex-boyfriend, 52-year-old William "Kirk" Hamblen, made threats to burn her home down and kill her.
The victim further explained that she and Hamblen got into an altercation back in mid-October. That's when Hamblen allegedly threatened to kill her before he threw the victim to the ground, causing her hip to break. The victim added that Hamblen took her cell phone, a handgun and her motorcycle as he left.
Since the incident, the victim has been bedridden, but November 3rd was her first day out of the house. According to the victim's narrative, a friend had been staying with her to help around the house when they decided to take a trip to her mom's house to get away for a bit. When they returned, they found that the home's shed door was open. They assumed Hamblen came to get some of his belongings, but they did not contact the police.
A few hours after returning home, the victim was laying in bed asleep when she was woken up by the sound of glass breaking. Her friend went to see what was going on when they saw that the home was on fire.
The next day following the fire, detectives began to canvas the area and eventually secured surveillance camera footage from a business on New York Avenue that shows a male walking into the backyard of the victim's home. A few minutes passed and then a large fire could be seen. Another piece of footage from another business showed the same male figure exiting a red crossover style SUV before they are seen fleeing the area in the same vehicle.
Throughout the investigation, detectives tried many times to locate Hamblen—which included checking places where he could be living—but to no avail.
The Volusia Sheriff's Office (VSO) later confirmed in an email sent to News Daytona Beach Thursday morning (December 17th) that Hamblen was arrested in Lexington County, South Carolina on a warrant related to the early-November fire. He has since been extradited back to Volusia County where he remains in custody.
