Arson suspect in Pink Pony Showgirls fire denied bond

Bond hearing for strip club arson suspect

FOX 13's Kylie Jones explains that prosecutors are looking into other possible fires that could be connected to the suspect.

TAMPA, Fla. - The man accused of setting fire to an adult entertainment club in Tampa faced a judge on Monday morning.

Pictured: Arvin Solimanpoor in court.

Arvin Solimanpoor, 29, is charged with arson in connection with a fire at the Pink Pony Showgirls adult entertainment club. He appeared in a Hillsborough County courtroom Monday morning for a pre-trial detention hearing.

The backstory:

Early Wednesday morning, Tampa Fire Rescue and the Tampa Police Department responded to calls about a fire and gunshots. Solimanpoor was arrested at the scene.

Investigators say Pink Pony Showgirls shares a building with a 24-hour adult store. Police say an employee at the adult store called 911 when they saw a man going into the club and heard gunshots.

"There was a person that was setting a fire to the building," Corporal William Baumann said. "Then, during the course of that call, they also indicated that person was also shooting gunshots."

What they're saying:

Baumann says that when he got to the fire scene, he saw Solimanpoor fueling the fire inside the building with brush.

"The ones on the right were on fire next to the door, and the door was open," Baumann said. "There were branches. He comes out of the building. He goes down to grab more."

Investigators say they found a melted bottle of what appeared to be lighter fluid near the building and another bottle in Solimanpoor's car at the scene. Police say Solimanpoor had more than 40 rounds of ammunition on him and a sticky note in his pocket.

"In one of [his] pockets, there was at least one sticky that had the Pink Pony name on it," Baumann said.

Prosecutors say Solimanpoor planned to set this fire at the Pink Pony Showgirls.

"The defendant, alone, along with his post-it note, had planned this," the prosecutor said. "Having written down the Pink Pony, [he] did go there with the intent, armed with a firearm, to shoot [and] gain entry into the Pink Pony. With the intent to start a fire, which he did, using brush and lighter fluid to start that fire."

The other side:

Solimanpoor's attorney asked the judge for a reasonable bond. He said Solimanpoor is employed and has family in Hillsborough County. His attorney also referenced possible mental health issues.

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"There are adequate provisions of bond that could serve the purposes of protecting the public and making sure Mr. Solimanpoor appears in court," Solimanpoor's attorney said.

His attorney also referenced possible mental health issues.

The judge, however, denied bond for Solimanpoor on the charge of arson.

Dig deeper:

Solimanpoor is also charged with shooting at, within or into a building, possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, battery on a law enforcement officer and felony criminal mischief. Solimanpoor is only charged in connection with the Pink Pony Showgirls fire.

However, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue is investigating several other recent fires that are believed to be arson. These fires happened 24 to 36 hours before the fire at Pink Pony Showgirls.

Tampa Fire Rescue responding to fire at Pink Pony Showgirls.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue says a fire was set early Tuesday morning at Smoke Bodega Smoke Shop and Indica Café Kava Bar. Overnight Wednesday, HCFR crews responded to a fire at Secrets Gentleman's Club on Hillsborough Avenue. Investigators say there was a fire set to the building and a car in the parking lot.

There was also an exterior fire outside Curaleaf Dispensary on Sheldon Road. Investigators say the fire was put out before it damaged the interior of the building.

What we don't know:

At this point, it's still unclear whether all these fires are connected with the fire at Pink Pony Showgirls.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered during Arvin Solimanpoor's pre-trial detention hearing. It also contains previous FOX 13 News reports.

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