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Man sentenced to 10 months in arson
By CHRIS TISCH, Times Staff Writer
LARGO -- Allen C. Anderson admitted to stealing 4 pounds of pot from a Largo home, then sloshing gasoline all over the house and lighting it on fire. In the house, a jungle of marijuana plants was being harvested. The windows were sealed, which prevented the fire from raging out of control. Prosecutors said the blaze still caused more than $30,000 in damage. Flames could have detonated propane tanks in the house, which was surrounded by other homes. The destruction and injuries could have been enormous. For that, Anderson deserved to be sent to prison, prosecutors said. But Anderson's supporters described hims as a pillar of the community. He has served on the Rotary Club and coached youth soccer and basketball. He meets regularly with his pastor for guidance. The arson was an isolated incident, they said. A bank CEO even appeared in court to assure the judge that his bank would loan Anderson $30,000 to pay restitution. A fire department chaplain and former deputy chief of the Seminole Fire Department also spoke on Anderson's behalf, urging the judge not send him to jail on the arson charge. "It's very rare to see respected people in the community, particularly from the fire department, speaking on the behalf of someone who committed an arson," Judge John Schaefer said. "I've never seen that before." But such was the scene when Anderson, a former president of the Seminole Chamber of Commerce and the son of a former judge, stood in court Friday to face arson and marijuana possession charges. "This is a bizarre set of facts here," Schaefer said. "Not your usual course of events, obviously." Anderson pleaded guilty to the charges and faced up to 35 months in prison, the sentence prosecutors were seeking. Anderson's attorneys and supporters asked for probation. Anderson, dressed in a blue sport coat, his silver hair slicked back on a tan head, stood between his attorneys. Schaefer sentenced Anderson to 10 months in the Pinellas County Jail, followed by 20 years of probation. Anderson also must pay $30,000 in restitution, $3,000 of which he provided in a check in court on Friday. His attorney, Jay Hebert, who hopes to get Anderson assigned to work release, said: "We're very pleased with the results." What would motivate Anderson to set fire to a drug house and steal some of the loot? Investigators say it was money and a woman. Anderson, 52, dated a woman earlier this year named Shirley Ives. She broke up with him at a time when he was experiencing financial problems. Anderson stole the key to the home of Ives' love interest, Charles Gerardi. Anderson went into the home, 10297 Hetrick Circle E, and stole four pounds of marijuana, valued at about $10,000, from a freezer. He set the house on fire and left, then tried to disguise his voice when he called 911 to report the fire. When sheriff's deputies went to the home, they saw it was a sophisticated grow operation, complete with sprinklers and heat lamps. Gerardi and Ives were arrested on drug charges, to which they pleaded guilty in May. Both were sentenced to 18 months of probation. Ives identified Anderson's voice from the 911 call recording. Anderson later confessed and led investigators to a storage facility where he put the marijuana. Gerardi and Ives gave statements asking the judge to send Anderson to prison. Both said Anderson "stalked" them since the incident. Ives got an injunction against Anderson earlier this month. Their statements countered the shining portrait of Anderson drawn by his friends, who include John Denmark, pastor of Seminole United Methodist Church and chaplain to the Seminole Fire Department, and Doug Meyer, former deputy chief of that department. "Allen's always been a good person," Meyer said. "He's been a supporter of the fire department." Anderson is the son of Allen C. Anderson Sr., who served as a Pinellas County judge for 20 years before retiring in 1984. He died three months later. A successful financial planner, the junior Anderson became president of the Seminole chamber in 1997. Anderson kept his eyes down for most of the testimony, wiping away tears when the bank president spoke in his defense. At one point, he turned and apologized to Gerardi and Ives. "My conduct was outrageous," he told the judge. "It's a terrible embarrassment. I wish that it had not happened. I would love a do-over, but that's not going to happen."
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
