Staff report
NEWBERRY, Fla. – A dramatic and potentially disastrous situation unfolded as Ashley Lachendra Quamecia Hall, 45, faces charges of arson. She stands accused of igniting a piece of paper and leaving it perilously close to a gas pump.
The unfolding events began at approximately 10 a.m. on July 26, when an Alachua County Sheriff’s Deputy arrived at the Circle K located at 45 SW 250th Street. An employee of the store showed the deputy surveillance footage capturing a concerning event from 2:21 p.m. on the previous day, July 25.
The security footage allegedly reveals Hall pulling up to the gas station in a black Nissan Altima. Seen stationed in front of a gas pump, Hall reportedly moved around inside her vehicle with its door ajar. She then picked up a light-colored piece of paper, turned back to the car’s open door, closed it, and drove off. The deputy noted that Hall’s wide-open window offered a clear glimpse into her activities within the vehicle.
According to the deputy’s account, as Hall made her exit, the video depicts a small blaze sparking at the base of the gas pump immediately after her departure.
Hall was arrested on July 27 at her residence and charged with battery, false imprisonment, and resisting an officer without violence after she allegedly prevented a family member from leaving the home when deputies ordered everyone to come outside; deputies eventually had to enter her home to take her into custody. She was also arrested on a warrant from a March incident in which she allegedly kicked deputies who were attempting to arrest her on a different warrant.
Hall is currently 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. Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $29,000 before the arson charges were filed, and Judge Olin Shinholser ordered her held without bail on the arson charge, pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s Office to hold her without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that 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.