By Milena Malaver
Miami Herald
MIAMI — A 36-year-old woman bought two gallons of Tampico juice, poured them out and refilled the containers with gasoline, which she used to set a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office station on fire Friday, officials said. She was cuffed and jailed.
Towana Findlay, 36, of Miami Beach, went into an Exxon gas station at 5 NE 79th St. around 1:20 p.m., where she bought the juice and prepaid $5 for gas. She was then seen pouring out the juice and filling the plastic containers with gasoline, according to her arrest affidavit.
Around 2:12 p.m., Findlay walked into the MDSO Northside District Office at 799 NW 81st St., where Deputy A. Young was working in the front lobby. Young said he saw Findlay enter carrying a black grocery bag and a purse. She placed the items on a chair, then grabbed a gallon container and poured gasoline onto the middle counter of the lobby and onto the floor, the affidavit states.
Deputy Young called for backup and moved toward the lobby, where he saw Findlay ignite the gasoline with a red lighter before walking out of the building. He followed her and detained her.
Deputies J. Hernandez, D. Lopez, and N. Lopez arrived outside the station and assisted Deputy Young in taking Findlay into custody.
Inside the station, Deputy J. Socarras heard the building alarm and went to the lobby, where he saw a gallon container on the floor and the floor on fire. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the flames.
Findlay was taken to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and was charged with 11 counts of second-degree attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, one for every deputy inside the station, and one count of arson.
Jail records show she was denied bond.
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