Florida man arrested after allegedly throwing explosive into home, deputies say
Jason Smith, 25, was arrested for allegedly throwing explosives at a residence. (Courtesy of the Volusia County Sheriff's Office)
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested Monday after allegedly throwing an explosive into a Deltona residence last month, deputies said.
Jason Smith, 25, is facing charges of possession of a firebomb, and first-degree arson in a building with people present.
On June 24, deputies responded to a call about an explosion that occurred at a Deltona residence.
Detectives said they found explosive material attached to a glass Don Julio bottle with an accelerant that was lit and then thrown into the window of the house.
Based on witness statements, an unidentified man ran towards the victim's house and threw the explosive at a window then ran back to a silver Mercedes. Deputies were able to find the owner of the vehicle, Smith, by photos taken by a neighbor.
After further investigation, detectives found that Smith's Mercedes was in the vicinity of the incident 14 minutes prior to it happening. Detectives also said the driving time is consistent with how long it would've taken to get there from his home in Winter Park.
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After being questioned, detectives said Smith changed his story multiple times saying he let an associate borrow his car, and that he was at work. When detectives called his "job", HR said they didn't have an employee with his name.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for his car where they found the cork to the Don Julio bottle thrown in the victim's house, a lighter in the backseat, plus other items in the vehicle.
Surveillance video also shows that Smith's car was at the victim's home, and shows that there were two people inside the car. Detectives said they weren't able to identify who was inside the vehicle due to the quality of the footage.
Smith's phone data also puts him in the area at the time of the incident.
With the evidence found, detectives arrested Smith and took him to the Volusia Branch County Jail where he is being held with a bond of $200,000.