Christopher Clardy, a 48-year-old convicted murderer from Auburndale, faces new felony charges after allegedly setting a fire in his cell at Dade Correctional Institution and throwing urine at responding officers. The incident occurred at 2:10 p.m. Saturday in the F Dormitory at the facility located at 19000 SW 377th St., south of Florida City. Clardy is serving a decades-long sentence for the 2017 murder of 29-year-old Preston Burnett in Polk County and is not scheduled for release until 2058, when he will be 80 years old.
Authorities reported that smoke was seen coming from Clardy’s cell, with the window covered by cloth to obscure the view inside. According to an arrest report, officers who opened the cell flap saw glowing embers, and Clardy threw an object containing glowing embers through the flap at a sergeant. “The report states that Clardy told another sergeant he was ready for y’all,” according to the arrest documentation.
The situation escalated when Clardy threw liquid at a sergeant’s face as the officer attempted to use a fire extinguisher through the door flap. “The sergeant stated the liquid smelled like urine and he knew what it was,” the arrest report detailed. Investigators said Clardy threw liquid at other officers as well, requiring an extraction team to remove both the inmate and extinguish the fire.
Clardy’s original conviction stems from the 2017 murder of Preston Burnett in Polk County, where sheriff’s deputies said the then-39-year-old shot Burnett multiple times and dragged his body into a wooded area. The killing was captured in a recording made by 30-year-old co-conspirator Jamie Garst. Clardy remained combative during the recent incident, telling an investigator he “was ready to fight again,” according to authorities.
The convicted murderer now faces additional charges of first-degree arson and two counts of battery on a corrections officer in Miami-Dade County. As of Tuesday, Clardy was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County. The new charges could potentially extend his already lengthy prison sentence, adding to the decades he is already serving for the Polk County murder conviction.