A Brevard County firefighter was arrested after investigators said he lit his home on fire in an attempt to defraud his insurance company, according to an affidavit from the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosives Investigations.
Donald Ray Slayman III, 36, was charged with arson of a dwelling and burning to defraud an insurer after investigators said he set fire to his home during Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 3, 2019.
Slayman has been placed on administrative leave with pay since his arrest Friday, according to Brevard County spokesman Don Walker. Slayman, a lieutenant, has been a firefighter with Brevard County Fire Rescue since 2005.
Fire crews responded to Slayman’s home on Pondapple Drive in Titusville after reports of a house fire around 11 p.m. that night. Neighbors and Slayman called 911 after the fire began in the garage and soon spread to the second story of the house.
When investigators arrived, neighbors were using hoses to help extinguish the fire while Slayman was on the phone with his wife, according to an arrest affidavit. Slayman gave differing versions of what happened to fire investigators, according to court records.