FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lieutenant Dale Hampton, Investigations Commander
dhampton@lakewalesfl.gov (863) 678-4223 ext. 2018 | Cell: (863) 632-6303
UniVista Arson and Vandalism suspect identified and arrested
Lake Wales, Fla. (July 17, 2025) – The Criminal Investigations Division has identified Jason Roberts as the suspect responsible for vandalizing the UniVista Insurance business on March 20, 2025. Roberts has been discovered to be the brother of Regina Waldrop, co-owner of Logical Insurance, a competing insurance company in the same plaza as UniVista.
On Thursday, March 20, 2025, 2 bottles with flammable liquid, commonly referred to as “Molotov cocktails,” were thrown through the front lobby glass of the UniVista business and the words “Civil War Trump” were spray painted on the window. Upon arrival, detectives discovered a bullet hole in the wall directly opposite of the front door. It was determined the projectile traveled through the glass, two rooms and three walls, before getting lodged in the third wall. Using video surveillance, it was discovered that a light-colored Toyota Prius may have been involved in the incident.
During the course of the investigation, the Toyota Prius involved in the incident belonged to Sarasota Pathology, a company in which Jason Roberts was the Courier Supervisor for their subsidiary, SaraPath Diagnostics. He resigned on March 24, 2025 after being a no-call-no-show beginning March 20, 2025. Human Resources Director Nancy Day informed detectives there would be no reason why a SaraPath vehicle would be in Lake Wales at the time of the incident and Roberts would have no legitimate work-related business at that time.
On July 17th through investigative means, detectives managed to locate Roberts in Jasper, Georgia. Lake Wales Detectives requested the assistance of Pickens County Sherriff’s Office in Georgia and took him into custody without incident. He is being charged with one count of Armed Burglary of an Unoccupied Structure, two counts of Possession of Fire Bombs, one count of Arson, one count of Shooting into a Dwelling, Public or Private Building, one count of Felony Criminal Mischief and one count of Discharging a Firearm in Public.