News

Mar 25, 2024

Volusia sheriff's office charges 2nd suspect in Deltona fire bomb case

The Volusia Sheriff's Office this week obtained an arrest warrant for the second suspect in a Deltona arson case involving a fire bomb made out of a tequila bottle. Christopher Roldan Cruz Ayala, 25,

The Volusia Sheriff's Office this week obtained an arrest warrant for the second suspect in a Deltona arson case involving a fire bomb made out of a tequila bottle.

Christopher Roldan Cruz Ayala, 25, is currently being held in Orange County Corrections on unrelated charges and will be served his warrant there, according to a Wednesday news release from the sheriff's office.

The other suspect, Ayala's friend Jason Smith, 25, has been in custody at the Volusia County Branch Jail since July 11 on charges of first-degree arson of a dwelling with people present and possession of a fire bomb, records show. Smith's bail is set at $200,000.

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No injuries were reported after the June 24 explosion that occurred on Covington Drive when one of the suspects threw the explosive device through a front bedroom window, according to the news release. In addition to broken pieces of a Don Julio Reposado Tequila bottle, deputies found cardboard from a mortar-style firework and copper foil.

"The motive for the arson was determined to be a family dispute over a relationship Ayala was having with his brother’s girlfriend during his brother’s incarceration in Seminole County," the news release states.