Neighbor Burns Down Kids' Skateboard Ramps

A man says he was tired of kids skateboarding on ramps in his Volusia County neighborhood, so he set the ramps on fire.

The sheriff's office says the man put the neighborhood near Orange City in danger and forced the county to divert firefighters already battling huge brush fires. The man admit he set the skateboard ramps on fire in the middle of this dirt road on 17th Street (see map), near Orange City, because he was fed up with kids playing on them so close to his home.

Lewis Smith, 45, was booked into the Volusia County jail, but released Monday morning. He's charged with criminal mischief, but Volusia County sheriff's investigators said the minor damage he caused could've been far worse.

A burned spot remained Monday where the skateboard ramps used to sit. Apparently one neighbor built them so that kids in the neighborhood would have a place to play.

"We heard one of the neighbors saying he pays good money for the roads," said eyewitness Tiffany Potts.

Smith didn't like the idea and the neighbors had been fighting about it for a while, until late Sunday night when Smith set the ramps on fire.

"This could've been far more serious. Someone could've been injured. This could've set off yet another brush fire, which is the last thing we need with these dry conditions we're encountering now," said Gary Davidson, Volusia County Sheriff's Office. "Certainly a waste of resources."

A woman answered the door where Smith lives and said the issued had been resolved, but Smith still has to see a judge who will decide what to do with the case.