ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Augustine police are searching for whoever threw a Molotov cocktail through the window of a city commissioner's home.
The Molotov cocktail, a bottle filled with gasoline and set on fire, was thrown Friday night into the bedroom of Commissioner Nancy Sikes-Kline’s 14-year-old son.
Her son was in the room with three teenage friends at the time, according to a police report.
The report said the commissioner's husband was able to put out the fire before anyone was seriously hurt. A board covered the window of the boy's bedroom on Monday.
Sikes-Kline issued a statement about the incident, saying: “We want everyone to know we are fine. We have every confidence in the St. Augustine Police Department to do their job to keep us all safe.”
St. Augustine police said that because there were people in the room, whoever is responsible for the attack could face attempted murder charges.
The attack raised questions about what could have prompted it and whether it was politically motivated.
Sikes-Kline told police that she has not had any issues with constituents or any political problems that would have elicited such a response.
“She tells us that it’s been pretty quiet. You have a few naysayers always in government, but nothing serious to do anything like this,” SAPD spokesman Mark Samson said.
So far, no one knows the motive or whether Sikes-Kline’s position on the City Commission has anything to do with the incident.
But neighbors said they’d be surprised if it was random vandalism or crime because it's a very quiet neighborhood.
“I can’t believe it. (She's a) great lady who does a lot of great work for the city,” neighbor Lynn Miller said. “(It's a) very safe neighborhood. Everyone gets along well and we've never had an incident like this.”
Police have been talking to the St. Augustine city manager about making sure all other elected officials are aware of what happened.
A city spokesperson said there have not been any controversial issues recently that would rise to the level of drawing vandalism or violence in retaliation.