Thirteen-year old facing attempted murder charges in the blazes
A Jay juvenile is facing felony charges of attempted murder, arson and burglary following a fire investigation by the Florida Bureau of Fire and Arson that determined a fire Saturday at 2682 Stafford Farm Boulevard in Jay, was intentionally set by a nearby youth.
Ethan Marsh-Hual, 13, was questioned by Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office deputies about his involvement in an arson complaint, Saturday, March 17, where several fires with no possible heat source were investigated, according to a Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office report.
“We were dispatched to a report of a fire on Stafford Farm Boulevard,” said Jay Volunteer Fire Department Chief Tony Simmons. “When we arrived, the fire was extinguished, but there was a fire in the garage area of the home, there were some indicators of possible arson. At that point, we notified the state fire marshal and they came out and did their investigation. We didn't have a lot of involvement after that.”
The report said that in three locations, a wooden fence, electrical box and a screen on a window to the garage, fires had been set intentionally. The damage is estimated to be in excessive of $1,000, the report said.
The owner of the home, Christopher Smegelski, was awakened by his daughter and smelled what he thought to be smoke, so he got up to investigate. The report said he discovered a fire in the garage and grabbed a fire extinguisher, using it until it ran out. The told authorities he then got a water hose and put the fire out. Smegelski stated his wife, daughter and son were all asleep in the residence when the fire started.
The deputy spoke to Marsh-Hual's parents, who corroborated their statements with what a detective had told the deputy. The detective had spoken with the juvenile about his involvement in the arson.
According to the report, the deputy interviewed Marsh-Hual, who told the deputy about a fight he had with another juvenile at the Smegelski's residence. The two juveniles spent time together, but Marsh-Hual anticipated another fight but was called home to dinner by his mother at 5 p.m.
The report stated that Marsh-Hual told the deputy set his alarm for midnight when he went to bed at 8:30 p.m. Marsh-Hual told the deputy he went out his window at midnight and described how he began setting the three fires.
The report said while Marsh-Hual was in the process of setting the fires, he heard a noise by the door and took off running along the fence toward a deer trail behind the residence, came out on the street behind the residence and walked back to his house, where he washed his face and hands and returned to bed.
Marsh-Hual was arrested and charged with felony attempted premeditated murder, felony arson of a dwelling with people present, felony burglary of a dwelling with $1,000 worth of damage and felony burglary of a vehicle and transported to Santa Rosa County Jail.
