A teenager now facing charges for the fatal shooting of a Citadel cadet and his close friend had a history of offenses reaching back to 2021. Authorities argue that the suspect, despite his troubled past, repeatedly evaded significant consequences until this alleged double homicide came to light.

According to the DeLand Police Department of Florida, the tragic incident occurred around 10:40 p.m. on July 29, claiming the lives of 19-year-old Dustin Rose and 18-year-old Samson Campbell. An arrest warrant was issued for a 17-year-old suspect, who was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday, as announced by officials earlier in the week.

At a news conference on Wednesday, police highlighted that the individuals involved were acquainted “in some capacity.” Authorities further revealed that the arrested teen boasts a considerable criminal record.

While on a break from his studies at The Citadel Military College of South Carolina, Dustin Rose tragically lost his life. General Frank McKenzie, The Citadel’s President, expressed the profound loss in a message to the campus community shared with news outlets. He described Rose as a “team leader” who was both a cherished friend and classmate.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the 17-year-old, whom News Media is not naming because he has not yet been charged as an adult, has a lengthy criminal history that includes charges of assault with a deadly weapon, multiple counts of battery and drug possession.

“We’re talking about aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, multiple counts of battery, criminal mischief, vehicle theft, trespassing, drug possession, another aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, resisting an officer, all dating back to 2021,” Chitwood said. “Charges that were either dropped, non-filed, dismissed, or at best, resolved with probation.”

Chitwood alleged that the teen’s ability to face little punishment is due to a lack of prosecution by the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Monique Worrell. He said that before the alleged double murder, the teen was in a diversion program for drug possession and disturbing a school function.

“It makes you wonder if our justice system held [the teen] accountable from the start, maybe things would have turned out different,” the sheriff said.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier also criticized Worrell, saying her “neglect of duty and incompetence are a danger to the 9th Judicial Circuit.”

“Soft on crime policies do not work!” Uthmeier said.

Worrell said in a statement, “It is disappointing, but not surprising, that the appointed Attorney General continues to make politically motivated statements without knowing all the facts. Public safety deserves thoughtful leadership and not rhetoric designed to score political points.”

“The most recent case referenced by Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood that involves this juvenile did not occur within the Ninth Judicial Circuit, but rather his own Seventh Circuit and is therefore outside the jurisdiction of this office to speak to,” Worrell said.

The teen faces two counts of second-degree murder in relation to the shooting, but R.J. Larizza, state attorney of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, said during a news conference he would likely be charged as an adult. The teen suspect’s father was also arrested on charges of felony accessory after the fact.

Rose was also a member of the South Carolina National Guard, a spokeswoman confirmed with News Media.

Rachel Rose, Dustin’s mother, said he was “such a light in our family.”

“When they took him they took the very best part of me. We are devastated,” she told News Media.

One of the victims’ mothers may have been among the family members who found the two dead after they went unreachable by phone, police previously said.

Campbell, a DeLand native, had been staying with his aunt, Karen Chobin, in the Chicago area. Chobin said he was in town to grieve the recent death of the family’s 8-year-old dog and was staying with Rose’s grandparents.

Rose was in DeLand to help Campbell spread his dog’s ashes, Chobin said.

“It was a traumatic loss. It wasn’t a passing of old age. It was awful. And then for this to be what he’s welcomed with when he goes down there to mourn his loss is devastating,” Chobin said.

A man who once carried the title of inmate firefighter now faces charges for igniting the deadly Gann Fire in Northern California.

65-year-old Herbert Wayne Smith, who served his time over two decades ago while working at a California work camp, admitted to starting the blaze, according to reports from KCRA.

Smith’s journey in the Conservation Camp Program began in 1999 when he fought fires as an inmate firefighter in Soledad. He later continued this work at a Georgetown camp until his release on parole.

At the time of his incarceration, Smith was serving sentences for charges related to receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance, as noted by the news outlet.

The state’s correctional department explains that inmate firefighters are crucial in aiding state, local, and federal agencies during various emergencies, including fires and floods, as well as other natural and manmade catastrophes.

Inmates who work as firefighters typically are under  “minimum custody” status, the lowest security level, and must have 8 years or less remaining on their sentence.

The revelation comes as Smith admitted to starting the Gann Fire, which has burned thousands of acres and killed an animal breeder.

The victim, identified as Hinterland German Shepherds owner Susan Solari, told friends she could not leave as the flames approached because she refused to abandon her dogs. She had operated the breeding business for decades.

Smith was booked for recklessly causing a fire, operating equipment capable of producing sparks in vegetation without adhering to fire prevention requirements, and allowing a fire to escape control.

Smith has said he was using a saw to cut metal scraps so that he could sell them to pay for his wife’s birthday celebration when the fire started. He expressed regret about his actions.

“This is going to destroy my life, one way or another,” Smith said in an interview with KCRA.

“I’m so sorry for everything that’s happened. That was never my intent. I was just out there trying to get some money together, and it turned into this.”

Authorities accused Smith of operating the tool without clearing flammable vegetation and failing to have firefighting tools on hand. 

Eight years ago, Smith also ran into trouble when he allegedly started a fire on someone else’s property.

“The Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office is unwavering in its duty to base all charging decisions on the facts and the law, and is firmly committed to fairness in the pursuit of justice,” the county district attorney’s office said in a statement.

No formal charges have been filed yet.