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'Professional arsonist' confesses to setting Hernando deputy patrol SUV on fire, the sheriff's office says

Anthony Thomas Tarduno, 48, told detectives that the patrol SUV was not targeted and "any car that had been parked there would have been set on fire."

SPRING HILL, Fla. — A 48-year-old man confessed to setting a parked deputy's patrol SUV on fire Wednesday because "he was 'intoxicated' and when he gets 'drunk' he does 'stupid things,'" the Hernando County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement.

Anthony Thomas Tarduno told detectives that he came back to the scene to confess because he "felt bad." 

"Tarduno went on to tell detectives he had been drinking at a bar on Northcliffe Boulevard," the sheriff's statement reads.

Credit: Hernando County Sheriff's Office
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office says that one of its department vehicles caught fire Wednesday. An investigation into the cause is underway.

"He left the bar on foot just before 4:30 p.m. While walking, Tarduno noticed the patrol vehicle and decided he'd like to set it on fire. He went to a nearby dumpster and grabbed a bag of garbage. Tarduno then placed the bag under the patrol vehicle and used a lighter to set it ablaze." 

Credit: Bryan Farrow
The Hernando County Sheriff's Office says that one of its department vehicles caught fire Wednesday. An investigation into the cause is underway.

Deputies say Tarduno went back to the bar after setting the fire. However, after several minutes he returned to confess, according to the agency. 

The county says it began its investigation after a vehicle fire was called in just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Callers reported the HCSO patrol vehicle was parked at an apartment complex in the area of Northcliffe Boulevard and Portillo Road in Spring Hill. 

During their investigation, detectives say severe damage was found around the rear passenger portion of the SUV and near the gas tank. Detectives also noted that there was trash and other items found under the gas tank, near the passenger wheel. 

Detectives say the 48-year-old was cooperative with the investigation telling investigators that he was a "professional arsonist" and even said that the patrol SUV was not targeted and "any car that had been parked there would have been set on fire." 

Tarduno is currently in the Hernando County Detention Center. 


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