Student from Georgia arrested in Betune-Cookman dorm fire
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Posted 11:48AM on Wednesday, February 5, 2003
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - Authorities said a Georgia student told police he torched a Bethune-Cookman College dormitory because ``God told me to set the fire.'' <br>
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Two students and a firefighter were injured in the blaze. <br>
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Officials said 18-year-old Langston Imani DuBois Deary was charged with arson to an occupied building after the fire Tuesday at LeFevre Hall that caused about $250,000 in damage. <br>
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One of the two students that suffered smoke inhalation was admitted to Halifax Medical Center for treatment. A Daytona Beach firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at the scene. <br>
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Deary, who lives near Atlanta, told police and fire investigators that he lit a pile of clothes on fire in his room about 6 a.m., according to police reports. <br>
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Police said Deary told them, ``I felt like I was God, I could do anything. He said he had smoked a large amount of marijuana before starting the fire. <br>
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Deary was being held today at Volusia County Jail on $20,000 bond. He refused to cooperate at his initial hearing Tuesday and had to be carried to and from the courtroom by deputies. No lawyer information for him was immediately available. <br>
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The dorm was built in 1966 and did not have sprinklers because they weren't required by fire codes back then. The hall was equipped with fire extinguishers, and smoke and fire alarms. <br>
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The college relocated the dorm's 158 male students to other rooms on campus.