By Frank Fernandez
The News-Journal
VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A Daytona Beach man is accused of setting fire to a patrol car last year and then calling 9-1-1 twice telling them the arson was a “welcoming mat” for new Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
Frederick Davis, 40, has now been welcomed to the Seminole County Jail. Davis was arrested Friday in Seminole County, where he’s being held on charges out of Seminole, Volusia and Orange counties. Investigators linked him to the arson by DNA and comparing audio from the 9-1-1 calls and a courtroom appearance by Davis, a career criminal, deputies said.
The Sheriff’s Office patrol car was in for service at an AAMCO Transmissions shop in Holly Hill when it was set on fire on the morning of Sept. 23, 2016. A second car was also burned. Davis is accused of using a transmission housing to smash a window into the patrol car and later using gasoline to set it on fire.
Davis made two brief calls on a stolen iPhone 4s he acquired on the streets.
“You let Mike Chitwood know that was his welcoming (expletive deleted) mat,” according to the audio.
Davis apparently wanted to make sure Chitwood got the message.
“Yeah, I called earlier. I just want to make sure you got that message for Chitwood?” a man tells a dispatcher on a recorded call.
“A message for Chitwood?” the dispatcher says.
“Yeah, let him know that was his (expletive deleted) welcoming mat over there,” the man said.
He ended his final call by saying “trace that, b----!”
Chitwood later said he did not recognize the man’s voice.
Davis is also accused of setting fire to a second car, a Nissan parked at the AAMCO, and burglarizing a sport utility vehicle. While checking the scene, investigators found a blood-stained paper, a radio schedule which was from the patrol car. On Jan. 7, the FDLE notified investigators that the DNA in the blood was a match to Davis, a report states.
As the investigation continued, detectives pulled a 2015 courtroom recording with audio of Davis’ voice and compared it to the arsonist on the phone. The voices matched.
About two months before the sheriff’s car arson, someone torched a Daytona Beach Police Department patrol car parked in front of the Islamic Center of Daytona Beach on Keech Street. Davis has not been charged in that arson which occurred on July 17.
But Chitwood cited the similarities in saying he believes Davis was responsible for that one as well: Both were on the east side of the county and were just months apart.
“In my heart, I also believe he’s responsible for torching the Daytona Beach police car,” Chitwood said.
Davis was being held Monday at the Seminole County Jail in a no-bond status for a fleeing or attempting to elude charge, in addition to several other charges carrying a total bail of $128,000. Davis was charged with two counts of arson, one count of burglary of an emergency vehicle, one count of burglary of a structure and two counts of burglary of a vehicle.
Chitwood said he heard Davis’ taunt.
“He was taunting law enforcement. He got away with the mosque job then he made two 9-1-1 calls. Now he got the welcome mat rolled out for him at the Seminole County jail.”
https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaSheriff/videos/1430877890284742/
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©2017 The News-Journal, Daytona Beach, Fla.