Florida prosecutors have decided to formally proceed with their criminal case against the man who took a stolen excavator for a joyride and crashed into a Walmart store, causing estimated damages of $2 million.
Police said Jesse Charles Smith, 47, of Trenton, hot-wired and stole a large construction excavator Sept. 11 and drove it through a wall at a Walmart in a popular shopping district, causing damage to power poles and lines.
Police said Smith was armed with a machete when he entered the Walmart but discarded it before they arrested him. Smith also attempted to physically resist arrest when he was put in handcuffs, according to the arrest report.
Prosecutors this week formally charged Smith with grand theft of $100,000 or more, four counts of criminal mischief, trespassing while armed and petit theft, all felony charges. They decided to drop the complaint that he resisted arrest.
Prosecutors said Smith damaged the excavator that belonged to Watson Construction and was valued at $100,000 or more, a power pole, a storage unit and a fence.
Smith’s arraignment on the charges was set for Nov. 13.
After Smith’s arrest, a judge ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation before he could be released on bail. The results of that were turned over to the judge Thursday but were not made public. Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Spokesperson Art Forgery said Smith was under close observation to prevent him from hurting himself and that he has a history of mental illness.
Smith has a history of theft and burglary convictions in Alachua County going back to 2018. He served just over one year in a Florida prison until January, when he was released about four months earlier than expected, according to criminal court records.
Smith is still being held in Alachua County Jail.
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