Arson charge likely after home lost

Deputies say a man's mobile home was destroyed because of a meth lab in the kitchen.

By MOLLY MOORHEAD
Published July 6, 2004

ZEPHYRHILLS - A 34-year-old man is in jail after authorities said he was cooking methamphetamine, which ignited a fire early Sunday that destroyed his mobile home.

James Michael Bulloch, 8106 U.S. 301, Lot 55B, is facing arson charges.

Pasco County sheriff's Lt. J.P. Jackson said the allegation that Bulloch was manufacturing drugs explains the charge.

"He was doing something illegal that caused the fire," Jackson said. "It wasn't accidental. It was an illegal fire."

Deputies responded to the blaze about 3 a.m. Sunday. The small mobile home, in Kozy Acres RV Park north of Zephyrhills, was fully engulfed in flames.

According to an arrest affidavit, Bulloch told deputies he was cooking methamphetamine, a stimulant that can be made with household chemicals and ingredients of over-the-counter medications. He placed a Pyrex dish on the hot stovetop, and the liquid mixture caught fire, the report said.

Bulloch's girlfriend also was in the home at the time of the fire. Neither of them was injured.

According to Florida Department of Law enforcement records, Bulloch has been charged in drug crimes in the past but not convicted.

In 1989, he was charged in Monroe County with possession and solicitation of cocaine, and in 1998 he received a year's probation after pleading no contest in Orlando to possession of marijuana.

On Monday, only a charred shell remained of the mobile home. The inside was black and covered in soot, visible through melted exterior walls.

Bulloch remained in the Pasco County jail in Land O'Lakes, in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Jackson said drug charges against Bulloch are likely.

Cases of methamphetamine production have been rare but not unheard of in Pasco County. In January, Dade City police discovered a Main Avenue house on fire, with all the makings of a meth lab inside.

[Last modified July 5, 2004, 21:59:05]