

VOLUSIA COUNTY — A woman doused her boyfriend with lighter fluid and set him on fire in a homeless camp just outside of DeLand, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.



Jeffery Cathcart, 34, ended up with burns covering half his body and was transported to Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach.



But despite the bad burns, deputies say Cathcart still managed to tell them what 41-year-old Annie Harper did to him before he was sent for medical care.



"Cathcart told deputies that his girlfriend doused his shorts with an accelerant and then set him on fire because she was mad at him for not providing her with drugs," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Gary Davidson in an email.



Deputies state that according to a female witness in an emergency call around 4 p.m. Saturday. Harper told her to dial 9-1-1 because her boyfriend had burned himself trying to start a fire. She said Harper then rode off on a bicycle.



But while still talking with the Sheriff’s Office dispatcher, the release states, the witness said she heard faint screaming sounds coming from the wooded area off North Woodland Boulevard just north of the city.



"Moments later, the caller said there was a naked man in the middle of the road arguing with a woman," Davidson adds in the email. He added two more callers then reported seeing a naked man in the street.



"One caller said he was yelling for help, and the other said he appeared to be writhing in pain," Davidson added.



Harper is charged with aggravated battery in the incident and one count of misdemeanor battery for allegedly kicking Cathcart while he was lying on the ground, Davidson said.



Authorities say they tracked her bicycle to a nearby convenience store, and took her into custody nearby.



Deputies say when they questioned Harper about events, she initially told them Cathcart set himself on fire.



But they say Harper's story became a bit wishy-washy from there.



"Harper exhibited signs of deception during questioning and gave several different accounts of the events," said Davidson in the email.



Davidson said Cathcart, once stabilized, will likely be transported to the Orlando Regional Medical Center's burn unit.