TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man has been arrested, accused of setting his car on fire after crashing into a large tree near a local restaurant.
Dacey Grice, 29, was arrested Thursday and charged with arson, false report to law enforcement, and hit-and-run.
According to court documents, Tallahassee Police were dispatched to the incident at 310 Polk Drive on April 4 around 12:50 a.m.
When police arrived, they spoke with the Tallahassee Fire Department who was already on scene extinguishing a fire. A car was north east of the blaze, wrecked into a large tree.
At the same time, documents say dispatch received a call from Grice, the owner of the car, who said his car was stolen. When Grice walked up to the scene, police began questioning him.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Grice had been stopped earlier that day by officers who evaluated him for DUI and told him not to drive, though Grice said he could "barely remember this encounter."
He told officers that his friend drove his car home around 12 a.m. because he was asked not to drive by officers earlier. The friend parked the car in front of Grice's home and he went to take a shower.
When Grice came out, however, the car was stolen. He noted that his cellphone was inside. After that, Grice told police that a female friend called him and told him that his car was on fire in the woods.
Police asked Grice how he managed to take a call without his cellphone, and he said the friend actually called him on his roommate's cellphone, which the roommate later denied.
A witness in the area told police that he had seen Grice walking through the woods after hearing the crash.
As officers continued talking to Grice, documents say, they noticed that he was "very sweaty and flustered," his clothing indicating that he had gone through overgrown, damp grass, similar to the area near the crash.
While telling officers that he wanted to press charges, documents say Grice suffered a mild seizure and laid across the hood of a patrol vehicle. When asked what he was doing, "he calmly responded, 'I'm just laying down.'"
After getting off the patrol vehicle, Grice attempted to continue completing the paperwork to file charges but officers noticed that his fist and arm were very swollen.
EMS responded to the scene and determined that Grice's right arm was severely broken and he was believed to have a concussion. He was transported to the hospital.
When officers reviewed surveillance footage from a nearby restaurant, documents say they saw a black coupe crash into a grease container before driving into the woods.
A few minutes later, Grice was seen walking from the woods and toward the back of Break Fast Grill. He was seen picking up a white bucket and walking back to the car before appearing on camera again, this time with no bucket.
A minute later the car can be seen catching on fire, according to documents.
Based on the investigation, a warrant was issued for Grice's arrest on Wednesday. He was taken into custody the same day. Grice has since gotten out on a $11,000 bond.
