Man accused of breaking into Cape Coral home, claiming ownership, attempting to start a fire

A North Fort Myers man was arrested Saturday after being accused of burglary at a Cape Coral home that he claimed was his rightful property before he then attempted to commit arson. According to the Cape Coral Police Department arrest report, officers responded to a Cape Coral home around 6:58 p.m. after reports of a disturbance. The caller told officers that a man was inside his home, which was under renovation. The caller said the man inside the home was not allowed to be in the home and was claiming to have the deed. Officers arrived at the scene and made contact with Robert Miller, 41, in the driveway, the report said. As officers approached, Miller went through the front door of the house and told officers that he owned the house and that it was given to him in his grandmother's will. Miller told officers he had the paperwork in a purple folder but declined to provide the paperwork and barricaded himself inside the home, the report said. The victim told officers that he had legally purchased the home through an LLC and wanted to press charges. As more officers arrived to assist, Miller opened the front bedroom window. Miller then claimed the officers had been following him from Ohio, that his mother works for the CIA, and that the officers should call the Drug Enforcement Administration and get it involved, the report said. Miller then pressed a purple folder against the window, claiming it documents that proved he owned the home. Miller again refused to show the documents to officers, the report said. Miller then retreated further into the house, and officers pulled the bottom window screen from the front bedroom window. Miller came to the window and was ordered by officers to put his hands up and exit through the window. Miller complied, and while being removed through the window, crushed a part of the window screen, the report said. Officers searched the home and, in the laundry room, found a screwdriver, a hot plate and a small wooden American flag plugged into each opening of a 220-volt outlet. The hot plate was turned on and was set to 300 to 350 degrees. Officers detected the smell of electrical burning, turned off the breaker and removed the items from the outlet. Officers determined that Miller was attempting to start a fire or cause damage to the home, the report said. A dog was also found inside the home. When officers asked Miller about the ownership of the dog, Miller told officers he had found the dog the previous day, the report said. Miller also told officers that the purple folder, which he claimed contained documents proving his ownership of the home, was not his and that he had just found it in the home. Miller was arrested and faces charges of burglary of an unoccupied dwelling, attempted second-degree arson and criminal mischief. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV