Disbarred Attorney Apprehended; Accused Of Burning $300,00 Yacht

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL -- A former New Port Richey attorney accused of setting fire to a $300,000 yacht was apprehended at the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport Wednesday night after being on the run for months.

The Broward County Sheriff's Office arrested Joshua Stewart, 41, of 6941 Manor Beach Road, New Port Richey, at 6:30 p.m. June 12 as he disembarked from a plane that flew in from Costa Rica. He was wanted on an arrest warrant out of Pasco County for first-degree arson stemming from his involvement in the Oct. 4 destruction of a custom-fitted yacht at 5529 Bowline Bend in New Port Richey.

The 47-foot 1995 Bayliner yacht belonged to Raymond Lissow, 60, who spent thousands of dollars on the boat to make it accessible for his 31-year-old quadriplegic son, Ray Jr. The boat was docked behind Lissow's home when it was set on fire.

A security video recovered by detectives from Oct. 4 showed a shallow draft boat pulling up to the port side of the yacht at 1:53 a.m. A few minutes later, a flash of light is seen in the rear cabin of the Bayliner along with what appears to be smoke.

The draft boat is then seen pulling away.

After an extensive investigation, Pasco Sheriff's detectives put out a warrant for Stewart's arrest for arson in March. But, by that time, he has fled the country.

Stewart was disbarred in December 2017 for an unrelated felony. He previously pleaded guilty to stealing the motor to Lissow's yacht in 2012. Lissow and Stewart had been having an ongoing dispute for years.