Rape charges will keep person of interest in Sanford arson case behind bars

SANFORD, Fla. — The person of interest in a central Florida arson case might not be leaving the area any time soon.
 
Steven Angle was expected to be extradited to Georgia to face charges filed in that state, but now his defense attorneys and the state have agreed to keep the man in the Seminole County Jail while he is prosecuted on charges related to a rape case in 2011.
 
Keeping Angle in Seminole County will also give investigators working on the arson case a chance to talk with him about the fires. Angle is a person-of-interest in that case.
 
Channel 9's Tim Barber viewed evidence from the rape case that included pictures of Angle's electric-blue truck and a skull-head shifter. Deputies said they are items the rape victim was able to describe to them.
 
"When witnesses start talking about unique characteristics about either the defendant or some possession of the defendant, jurors tend to take notice because they reason that only the victim would know that information," said WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer.
 
Thursday morning prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to hold Angle without bond. Angle also faces charges not only in Seminole County, but in Volusia County as well as Georgia.
 
Sheaffer said he does not believe Angle will be moved from the Seminole County Jail any time soon.
 
"We have a sexual battery. It occurred some time ago and it's important that the victim get her day in court now, not a year from now," said Sheaffer.

WFTV