20-Year-Old Accused Of Causing $500K Damage At Melreese

MIAMI, FL — A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Tuesday night fires that destroyed a fleet of 40 golf carts and caused an estimated $500,000 worth of damage at the city-owned Melreese Country Club. Carlos Crespo was charged Thursday with first-degree arson and burglary of an unoccupied structure. He was being held on $15,000 bond.

Capt. Ignatius Carroll of Miami Fire Rescue previously told Patch that the fires broke out around 10:30 p.m. The golf course is located near Miami International Airport at 1802 NW 37th Ave. The facility is operated by an independent contractor.

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The property is the site of the proposed Miami Freedom Park soccer stadium and entertainment complex, which will become the home of David Beckham's Major League Soccer team if approved by voters in November.

"Video surveillance at the country club captured a young, white male with long curly hair, wearing a tank top and white shorts setting fire to the property," explained Officer Michael Vega of the Miami Police Department on Thursday. "An anonymous tip led detectives to the alleged offender."

According to court documents, Crespo "ran to a safe distance" and watched the fire burn. In addition to the golf carts, surveillance cameras, windows and awnings were also damaged in the blaze.

Miami police did not immediately release a motive for the fires. Crespo did not make a statement to police, according to court documents.

It was less than a week ago that a group led by Miami businessman Jorge Mas and soccer legend Beckham won a key vote by the Miami City Commission to place the proposed Freedom Park soccer complex on the ballot.

The golf course is home to Miami's popular First Tee youth golf program, which will have to move elsewhere if voters approve the soccer complex in a November referendum. Dozens of orange-shirted supporters of the golf program opposed the change last week at a special meeting and urged commmissioners to vote against the project.

Miami police released surveillance video of the Melreese incident below:

Photo courtesy Miami-Dade Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Video courtesy Miami Police Department.