HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A woman from Suwannee County was arrested for a case of arson at a South Florida business.
From the moment the fire was set, which was around 5:20 p.m. on Dec. 27, officers were already searching for the suspect, finding and arresting her within three hours.
Police identified her as Ann Marie Smith, 51, of Live Oak. An arrest report states that she was born in Hollywood.
Surveillance video from the Sheridan Lumber Co. located at 2044 Sheridan St. in Hollywood shows who police said was Smith using a lighter and an accelerant to set fire to a pile of clothes outside the store.
Investigators said Smith watched the fire grow before walking away.
The business owner called Hollywood police, who quickly responded, and while firefighters were able to put the fire out, officers quickly began canvassing the area searching for Smith.
She was found not far from the business, and a police body camera captured the moments she was arrested.
Smith remains behind bars at the Paul Rein Detention Center facing a number of charges from a separate incident that includes battery with a deadly weapon, to go with the new second-degree arson charge.
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