A Belle Isle woman who was already barred from a Stockbridge Avenue home under a court order allegedly poured gasoline around the property and set it ablaze following a dispute with the homeowner. Newell Elizabeth Walls, 41, was arrested and now faces felony arson and trespassing charges after the fire broke out at a residence in the 6300 block of Stockbridge Avenue.
Police said officers responded to the residential fire around 7:47 p.m., according to WFTV. Reports differ on which night the fire occurred: WESH and the Orlando Sentinel both place the fire and Walls's arrest on Tuesday night, while ClickOrlando reports that officers responded around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Investigators allege Walls used gasoline and a lighter to intentionally set the residence on fire following a dispute with the homeowner, per ClickOrlando's report.
Gasoline in the Carport, Paper Burned Inside the House
According to a police affidavit cited by the Orlando Sentinel, Walls began pouring gas onto everything in the carport and lighting it, after also setting paper on fire inside the house. Orange County Fire Rescue crews responded and extinguished the flames, and police said no residents or first responders were injured in the incident, the station's report notes.
Officers searched the surrounding area and located Walls nearby, per the same account. She was evaluated for minor burns before being transported to the Orange County Jail, where she now faces charges of arson of an occupied dwelling and trespassing after warning.
A History of Being Banned From the Same House
This was not Walls's first run-in with law enforcement at the Stockbridge Avenue address. In November 2025, Walls was arrested there by police after the homeowner reported that she had trespassed, the Orlando Sentinel reports. She later pleaded no contest to that trespassing charge in June, was sentenced to time served, and was ordered to pay fines.
As part of that agreement, Walls was issued a no-contact order and prohibited from returning to the home, according to the Sentinel. Court records cited by the outlet state she was trespassed from the property again just 11 days before the fire, despite the standing order barring her from the home.
Held Without Bond Ahead of Court Date
A judge on Wednesday ordered that Walls remain in the Orange County Jail without bond, with her next court appearance scheduled for Thursday morning, per the Sentinel's reporting. Under Florida Statute 806.01, willfully damaging an occupied dwelling by fire constitutes arson in the first degree, a first-degree felony, according to the Florida Legislature. The same statute also provides that arson resulting in bodily harm to a firefighter or another person is a first-degree misdemeanor, while arson causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or permanent disfigurement rises to a second-degree felony.
