Deputies Make Arrest in Holiday Break-In, Shooting

An Elfers man has been arrested in connection to a September break-in during which a man was shot.   

Witnesses told a Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy the men forced their way into his home in the 4000 block of Crestfield Avenue in Holiday this past Sept. 11, according to an arrest report from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. Each intruder held a handgun and wore a bandana that covered their faces.

An occupant threw a chair at one of the men and it him in the head. Another occupant pushed the other intruder into the bathroom and fought with him. The occupant was shot in the leg, but it’s unclear who pulled the trigger.

The other man pointed a gun at another of the house’s occupants in the bedroom and then pointed his gun at the man who was shot, but he didn’t pull the trigger.

The two intruders fled.

Jason Smith, of 5709 Chapman Drive, was already in the Land O’ Lakes jail July 17 serving a sentence for a grand theft when deputies accused him of being the intruder who fought with the man who was shot.

The victim identified Smith from a photo pack.

Smith, 32, admitted to breaking into the home and getting into a fight with the man who was shot.

So, officials have now charged Smith with armed burglary and aggravated battery, too.

The other suspect in the break-in has not been arrested. Sheriff’s office spokesman Kevin Doll said deputies are still investigating suspects.