Little Rock man given 20 years in federal prison after setting fire to two coffee shops
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A Little Rock man will see substantial prison time after setting fire to two businesses in 2022.
According to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, 50-year-old Trent Tyrone Smith was sentenced to 20 years in prison for arson charges. Smith was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.
Little Rock Business owner stunned after both businesses catch fire in the same night
On Mar. 3, 2022, the Little Rock Fire Department responded to multiple calls at two separate locations of The Grind Coffee Bistro, one at Pleasant Ridge Town Center on Cantrell Road and the other on East 21st Street.
LRFD crews said they responded to the first call of a water flow alarm at the Cantrell Road location but were unable to find the source. Prosecuting attorneys said a water flow alarm is indicative of a fire suppression sprinkler system being activated.
Officials with the LRFD said crews then responded to a report of a fire at the intersection of East 21st and Commerce Streets. When they arrived, the firefighters said the front door of The Grind Coffee Bistro was locked but they saw smoke and a fire in the business.
Crews later responded again to the Cantrell Road location and saw smoke coming from the business. Firefighters were able to enter the business and saw two fires in the kitchen and one in the storage room. While putting out the fire, the firefighters said they found an overturned can of gas which was similar to the two 2-gallon gas cans that attorneys said Smith purchased from Walmart.
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Prosecuting attorneys said investigators found that the owner of The Grind Coffee Bistro had recently ended her relationship with Smith. Authorities said Smith physically assaulted her on Feb. 26, 2022, leading to the victim changing the locks to her residence and Smith removing his things from the residence.
Authorities said Smith tried to call the victim on the day of the fires and, later in the day, the victim’s son called his mother to tell her that their home had been shot at, although it was later found that an object was used to hit the window of the home.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, an investigation found that the spare keys of the business were missing, and a car driven by Smith can be seen in surveillance video outside the Cantrell Road location until just before LRFD were notified of the water flow activation alarm.
Prosecuting attorneys said Smith has a “substantial and violent” criminal history, including a 2016 conviction in Saline County for aggravated assault on a family or household member and first-degree terroristic threatening after authorities said he attacked a woman, threatened to kill her and drove a car into the home in an attempt to hit her.
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Smith was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 5, 2022, charging him with use of a fire/explosive to damage or destroy property with injury to persons. He pleaded guilty to one count on July 25, 2023, and the remaining count was dismissed.
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