Arsonist Convicted In Case That Injured Firefighter, Displaced 20 Residents

COLUMBIA, MD — A Columbia man has been convicted in a firebombing case that displaced 20 residents of an apartment complex.

A Howard County jury spent one week hearing testimony about the firebombing case that happened April 5, 2022, at an apartment complex located in the 10300 block of Hickory Ridge Road in Columbia. Evidence presented at trial revealed that, in retaliation against a resident of the apartment complex, Corey Renard Tomlin, 42, conspired with two accomplices to build and throw Molotov cocktails through the window of an occupied apartment around 3 a.m. The attack caused extensive damage to the targeted apartment and the building itself, court documents showed.

Howard County Fire and Rescue firefighters were called to the scene to battle the blaze. All 20 residents of the building were evacuated and displaced as a result of the fire, and one firefighter sustained injuries while fighting the fire, court records show.

Tomlin was found guilty of first-degree arson, possession of incendiary material to create a destructive device, reckless endangerment and related conspiracy charges after the one-week trial. Sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 18.