Jury indicts man on arson charges
Documents allege suspect set fire to five 5G cellphone towers in San Antonio last year
A federal grand jury has indicted a man who prosecutors say holds “anti-government” views on six federal arson charges for allegedly setting fire to five cellphone towers in San Antonio.
Sean Aaron Smith, 29, was arrested in May on suspicion of setting fire a year earlier to one of those towers, located at 1818 Hunt Lane on the West Side, while a female companion served as a lookout, court records said.
San Antonio police initially arrested him on state charges unrelated to the fire, including drug and weapons possession and tampering with evidence. But the Bexar County district attorney's office later dismissed the charges.
Coley Lane Dupre, 19, was arrested, too — on a state arson charge and unrelated counts — but the DA dismissed her arson case, citing further investigation.
A federal joint terrorism task force took on the investigation, focusing mostly on Smith. A federal grand jury indicted him Wednesday, but no federal charges were filed against Dupre.
In the federal case, Smith is accused of targeting a cellphone tower at 1704 SW Loop 410 tower twice — on April 10, 2021, and again on May 8, 2021.
The indictment also charges him for the fire at the tower on Hunt Lane, and other tower blazes at 5705 Ingram Road. on March 1, 2022, 918 Bandera Road on April 29, 2022, and 1955 Huebner Road.
According to an account by the San Antonio Police Department in May 2021, officers were called to 1818 Hunt Lane after the cellphone tower was set on fire.
The tower is located in a residential area near Marbach Road and Loop 410.
Surveillance video showed a man wearing an orange shirt and white hard hat setting the fire inside the tower, said an SAPD affidavit supporting Dupre's arrest.
Officers identified the pair after one of Smith's friends told police Smith had “anti-government views” that fueled his mission to burn down 5G cellphone towers, the court documents said.
Police said Dupre acted as Smith's lookout as he set fire to the tower. Surveillance footage showed Dupre and Smith walking toward the cellphone tower minutes before it went up in flames, the court documents said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Roomberg is seeking to keep Smith in custody without bond. No hearing had been set as of Monday afternoon.