Fire Call Results in Charges of Electricity Theft, Resisting Arrest

Fayette County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a man from the Jeddo area (in the far southwestern corner of the county)for criminal mischief and resisting arrest following a structure fire on the man’s property last Friday.

According to a report from Lt. David Beyer of the Sheriff’s Office, Muldoon Volunteer Fire Department responded on March 26 to a report of smoke in a wooded property along Dry Creek Cove. Upon arrival fire fighters discovered a building on fire.

“When the fire department got out there, they were going to put the fire out, but they noticed the (property owner) was stealing electricity,” Beyer said. “He hooked the power from the pole directly to the house, bypassing the meter box. That’s probably what caught the building on fire.”

Beyer said firefighters had to wait for Fayette Electric Cooperative to arrive and cut off the electricity before fighting the fire.

“By that time Deputy Herman Olvera got there, and the guy was acting pretty irate,” Beyer said.

Beyer said Olvera ordered the man to go inside his house, which was away from the burning building, so that firefighters could put out the blaze. Beyer said some of the firefighters heard popping noises and told Olvera they thought the man was shooting a gun at them. Beyer said Olvera did not hear the shots, but he notified the Sheriff’s Office and took cover with the firefighters behind some fire trucks. Additional deputies began responding to the location.

“We thought we had a suspect barricaded inside with a gun,” Beyer said.

Muldoon assistant fire chief Stephen Kelly said he appreciated the quick response of deputies to protect the firefighters. Olvera used the loudspeak

Olvera used the loudspeaker on his patrol car to order the man out of the house. The man complied, but Beyer said he resisted arrest.

“He didn’t want the fire department out there, he didn’t want the electrical company out there, he just wanted everybody off his property,” Beyer said. “But they were trying to put the fire out before it caught the whole woods on fire.”

Later, Beyer said the man gave deputies permission to search the house. Beyer said deputies did not find a gun or any other evidence that the man was shooting at the firefighters. Deputies arrested the man, identified as 58-year-old Randall Jay Smith, for resisting arrest and criminal mischief in regard to the bypassed electric meter. Beyer said Smith later assaulted a jailer at the Dan R. Beck Justice Center, which led to another charge of assault on a public servant.