Man throws paint over aunt who is wheelchair user, sets her house on fire

Miami-Dade police arrest Michael Rawlins on arson, battery charges

Michael Rawlins was arrested Feb. 9 after he was accused of trying to burn down his aunt's house in December.

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – If what he is accused of doing is true, Michael Rawlins is the nephew from hell. 

When Miami-Dade firefighters arrived to the home of Rawlins' 67-year-old aunt, who is a wheelchair user, they found her covered in paint. Her North Miami Beach house was on fire and she was also suffering from smoke inhalation. 

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The woman told police officers that Rawlins, 32, was furious. She said he had painted her drive way, and she was supposed to pay him $50. But she didn't pay him, because she believed he had stolen $100 from her purse. 

She told police Rawlins said, "I'm going to burn down your house" before picking up a bucket of paint, and throwing it on her. It hurt her eyes. That was when she heard him running to the side of the house.

Firefighters later learned he had set a brown wooden cabinet on fire. The fire spread quickly. The windows shattered and the smoke funneled throughout the house. 

Rawlins got away after the Dec. 8 incident. But Miami-Dade police officers later caught him on Thursday at 15100 NE 21 Ave. Rawlins was at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Friday. He was facing charges of first-degree arson and battery on a person who is older than 65 years old. 


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.