Staff report
NEWBERRY, Fla. – Ashley Lachendra Quamecia Hall, 45, is facing an arson charge after authorities say she lit a piece of paper and left it beside a gas pump at a Newberry convenience store.
An Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy was called to the Circle K at 45 SW 250th Street around 10 a.m. on July 26. According to the report, a store employee provided surveillance footage from an incident that had taken place the previous afternoon, July 25, at about 2:21 p.m.
The footage reportedly shows Hall pulling up to the gas station in a black Nissan Altima and standing near one of the pumps. Investigators say she then got back into the vehicle, left the door open, moved around inside, and picked up a light-colored piece of paper before turning toward the open car door. The deputy noted that Hall’s window was down, giving a clear view of her inside the car, before she closed the door and drove away.
According to the deputy, the surveillance video showed a small fire appear at the base of the gas pump immediately after Hall left the area.
Hall was taken into custody on July 27 at her home on separate allegations. Deputies said she prevented a family member from leaving the residence after law enforcement ordered everyone outside, leading to charges of battery, false imprisonment, and resisting an officer without violence. Authorities said deputies ultimately entered the home to arrest her. She was also arrested on an outstanding warrant connected to a March incident in which she allegedly kicked deputies who were attempting to arrest her on another warrant.
Court records show Hall is now charged with first-degree arson, criminal attempt to commit a first-degree felony, domestic false imprisonment, resisting an officer with violence, domestic battery, and two counts of resisting an officer without violence. Before the arson charge was filed, Judge Meshon Rawls set her bail at $29,000. Judge Olin Shinholser later ordered Hall held without bail on the arson charge while the court considers a State Attorney’s Office motion to keep her detained until trial. If that request is denied, bail is expected to be addressed at the hearing.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
