He set fire to his ex-girlfriend’s clothes, Keys deputies say. Then they saw 6 rifles
A Florida Keys man is accused of setting his ex-girlfriend’s belongings on fire Thursday, and when Monroe County sheriff’s deputies arrived, they said they found a gun inside his house that had been reported stolen.
Jeffrey Neil Hammond, 47, remained in county jail Friday with no set bond on charges of grand theft of a firearm, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and making a bonfire too close to a residence, according to the sheriff’s office.
When deputies were called to his home on Scout Key in the Lower Keys around 4 p.m., they found a fire burning outside about 25 feet from the house that contained clothing, cosmetics and other items, sheriff’s office spokesman Adam Linhardt said.
The 54-year-old woman, who deputies have not named, said Hammond wouldn’t let her gather her things and then began setting them on fire, Linhardt said.
She also told deputies that Hammond owned illegal guns that she said were inside the house.
Deputies found six rifles and a handgun, Linhardt said. One of the rifles was a Weatherby .257 Magnum that was reported stolen in North Carolina, according to the sheriff’s office.
After initially refusing to be handcuffed, deputies arrested Hammond and took him to jail, Linhardt said.
