Convicted Sex Offender Sets Elderly Woman's Garage on Fire, Strangles Her with Shovel; No Bond
Michael Allen Smith, 60, was arrested last week and charged with false imprisonment, arson, burglary and battery against an elderly person.
Smith walked up to the elderly victim’s home while she was gardening outside and began trying to enter through a sliding glass door. Smith turned his attention to the victim and began to scream at her.
The victim ran inside, and Smith grabbed her. The victim broke free and lost sight of Smith. She didn’t know if Smith left the house or was hiding. She could hear rumbling sounds from the garage. A few moments later, the garage was on fire.
The victim grabbed a shovel and attempted to put out the fire. Smith grabbed the shovel from the victim and strangled her with it. Smith began to drag the victim and only let her go after hearing police sirens.
Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Officer Dante Zanders reported that Smith “was arrested a short time after when he exited one of the fire department vehicles. The defendant's pants were scorched and appeared to have been burned by the fire…. The defendant willfully and unlawfully caused damage to the victim’s residence by using a gas can located within [her] garage to set [it] ablaze [with] reasonable grounds to believe the residence was occupied by the victim.”
Zanders’ search on Smith found two lighters in his pocket.
A witness who was working outside told Zanders he saw smoke and Smith dragging the victim with a shovel.
Zanders reported that Smith made “spontaneous utterances claiming that he believed he was being shot at [and] uttered that he grabbed the victim to protect himself from the shots. Post Miranda, the defendant invoked his Miranda rights and declined to speak about the arson, the burglary, the battery, and the false imprisonment.”
Smith was convicted of sexual battery in 1988.
Smith was released from prison in August after being convicted in 2020 for failing to register as a sex offender.
The State Attorney’s Office filed a motion of pretrial detention on Smith, and it was granted by Judge William Davis.
