By Austin L. Miller
Ocala Star-Banner
OCALA, Fla. — An inmate at a corrections facility accused of setting a fire in his prison cell was arrested earlier this week and charged with arson.
On May 24 at 1:02 a.m., corrections officers responded to a fire alarm in a cell at Marion Corrections Institute at 3269 NW 105th Street and saw fire. Authorities quickly extinguished the flames.
Both inmates, 19-year-old William Marcel Bertrand Jr. and a second man, were removed from the cell. They were not injured, officials said. Later that day, in an interview with the inmates, Bertrand refused to talk with investigators from the Bureau of Fire & Arson Investigations.
The other inmate told investigators he was talking with another inmate through the door when he heard a popping noise behind him. Turning around, the inmate said he saw fire on the top bunk next to Bertrand. The inmate said Bertrand threw sheets and other clothing on the fire.
In their investigation, officials said the fire was caused from a fluorescent light socket that was broken that caused an arc near the linen which caused the fire. Officials then obtained a warrant for Bertrand and he was re-arrested. Local jail records show his next court date is Sept. 26.
Bertrand was booked into the Marion County Jail on Aug. 23. He was sentenced on Dec. 19, 2014, in Pinellas for armed burglary and burglary and expected to be released on April 25, 2024, according to state records.
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