PALATKA, Fla. – Investigators looking into an Oct. 15 fire of a mobile home in the Bostwick area have arrested a woman, her daughter and a man who was injured in the fire.
Putnam County sheriff’s deputies and Florida Division of State Fire Marshal investigators investigated the fire at 150 Bonita Drive after the fire in which Jason May was suffered serious injuries. He was flown by air ambulance to UF Health in Gainesville.
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The Sheriff's Office said May, 38, told deputies and paramedics that he was making methamphetamine when it exploded.
Lynn Clouse, 31, who is May’s ex-wife, told deputies that she heard an explosion and witnessed him on fire. She told authorities she used blankets to attempt to extinguish the flames.
Since the fire was the result of manufacturing methamphetamine, which is a felony, Putnam County asked the state to assist in the investigation. They determined that both Lynn Clouse and Diana Clouse, 50, making meth in the home and therefor responsible for the fire.
The two women and May were arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree arson, possession of listed chemicals to make meth and manufacture of methamphetamine. May is being held in the Putnam County Jail on $110,000 bond, while Lynn and Diana Clouse are each held on $107,500 bond.
“The Putnam County Sheriff’s maintains a zero-tolerance stance when it comes to manufacturing methamphetamine," Sheriff Jeff Hardy said. "Because of the great response by the initial deputies and the tenacity of the investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Putnam County is safer with these suspects off the streets."
Anyone with information about the subjects or locations involved in the possible manufacture of methamphetamine is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 386-329-0800 or Crime Stoppers of North East Florida at 888-277-8477. Tipsters can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward.