OCALA, Fla. — A Florida man is facing charges for allegedly lighting eight Molotov cocktails outside the Department of Children and Families office in Ocala back in November, according to authorities.
According to court records, Tommy Holt had 18 different interactions with DCF and his five children had been taken away from him before he showed up with the homemade firebombs. He is now facing federal charges for manufacturing and possession of explosive devices. He is set to be arraigned on those charges next week.
Sunny Patel, an eyewitness to the situation back in November, said she remembers seeing Holt hanging outside an Ocala gas station, begging others and even convincing another customer to buy him a 12-pack of Bud Light.
“It was early morning, I think, and he came in and asked about a gas, a gallon or something,” Patel recalled.
Gas station surveillance captured Holt walking with the beers and a small canister of gasoline. Investigators said workers at a nearby auto parts business spotted him emptying some of the bottles of beer.