Derek Anthony Gonzales, 37, was recently sentenced to 25 years in state prison as a habitual felony offender, according to the press release from State Attorney Bill Eddins Office.
The sentence was given by Santa Rosa County Circuit Judge John Simon after a Santa Rosa County jury found Gonzales guilty of charges of first degree arson, an attempt to manufacture methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia on May 1.
In May of last year, Gonzales was arrested by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office following a fire at the Emerald Sands Inn in Milton. According to the release, Gonzales brought a bag containing an active methamphetamine lab into a room at the Inn. The lab then exploded and caught fire, burning the contents of the room. Gonzales then fled the scene and was subsequently apprehended by sheriff’s deputies, the release said. The incident was investigated by the sheriff’s office and the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Gonzales sentenced to 25 years in prison