Berlin Man Sentenced for Felony Arson

A Berlin man who was convicted for felony arson has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. Worcester County Circuit Court Judge Beau Oglesby sentenced 38 year old Felix Rounds, Jr., on Friday – and suspended all but 15 years of active incarceration. Rounds will serve 5 years of supervised probation on release, receive mental health counseling for pyromania and pay over $12,000 in restitution to multiple victims. Court records show there were three separate reports of structure fires in northern Worcester County from November 21, 2023 and March 29, 2024.

Additional information from the Worcester State’s Attorney:

The charges stem from 3 separate reports of structure fires which occurred throughout northern Worcester County between November 21, 2023, and March 29, 2024. These incidents were investigated by both the Ocean City and Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Offices and allied law enforcement agencies and fire departments. The first fire occurred in a house on Sinepuxent Road in Berlin, where witnesses observed smoke and fire coming from an open front window. A witness also saw an individual, later identified as Rounds, running behind the house at the time of the fire. The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office responded and determined that the fire was intentionally set in a bedroom of the home.

The second fire was reported in March of 2024 by a cleaning crew working at an Ocean City hotel, who discovered fire damage to one of the hotel rooms. Investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office revealed that Rounds had rented that hotel room hours before the fire occurred and had left the hotel without checking out soon thereafter. 

The third fire was intentionally set a few weeks later, on March 29, 2024, inside a house on Ocean Parkway in Ocean Pines. Investigation revealed that Rounds, who had been staying at the residence, had barricaded himself inside a bedroom and began lighting clothing and other items within the room on fire. As firefighters breached the bedroom door, Rounds jumped out of a window and was eventually apprehended by police. He was transported to the  hospital for an emergency evaluation and officers placed him under arrest after the evaluation was completed. Rounds was indicted by a Worcester County grand jury in May of 2024 on charges related to all 3 fire investigations.