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Man suspected of starting FL fires apologizes
South Florida Sun-Sentinel (November 19, 2008)Nov. 19--Joseph Leaf apologized for his arsons, deputies said, after he became a victim of one of them.
"I am so sorry," Leaf, 26, told firefighters Nov. 2. "I lit the house on fire. ... I used gasoline to catch it on fire."
Leaf was then taken to the Wellington Regional Medical Center for his burns. On Tuesday, a bandaged Leaf appeared in court for the first time since he was charged with arson after deputies said he set two houses and two vehicles on fire west of West Palm Beach.
He is being held in county jail in lieu of $702,500 bond.
Leaf is charged with setting ablaze an unoccupied residence in the 4100 block of Happiness Street on Oct. 31 and again on Nov. 2, causing $210,000 worth of damage; a U-Haul truck in the 4100 block of Success Street causing $1,500 damage on Oct. 31; and another vehicle the same day in the 4100 block of Pot O Gold Road, causing $1,000 damage.
Leaf confessed, deputies said, to three of the fires but denied he had anything to do with the Pot O Gold fire.
"It's very good any time we can find an arsonist and get him off the street before he does more damage," county Fire-Rescue Capt. Don DeLucia said. "Eventually they will progress to where people are killed."
Leaf said setting fires was a way from him to unwind, DeLucia said.
Leaf was accused of starting brush fires in 2002, but the charges were dropped after he completed a pre-trial intervention program.
Leaf, who lives in the neighborhood where the fires were set, told investigators he got the gasoline from his father's home and rode his bicycle to the abandoned house on Happiness Street on Nov. 2.
He poured the gasoline in the residence and lit the gas with a cigarette lighter. When the fire flashed, Leaf too caught fire and was later found by firefighters, deputies said.
Jerome Burdi can be reached at jburdi@SunSentinel.com or 561-243-6531.
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