Woman arrested for attacking her stepmother after house fire is put out
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
According to a release from Gainesville Fire Department, at approximately 11:34 a.m. on April 6, Gainesville Fire Rescue units responded with an Alachua County Fire Rescue transport unit to a residential building fire at 2353 NW 54th Blvd.
An engine arrived on scene within 3 minutes of being dispatched to report light smoke showing from a two-story family residence. An aggressive fire attack from the first arriving unit on the scene quickly put the fire out, while a ladder truck crew completed a search of the home to verify that all of the occupants were out of the house. The ACFR transport unit rescue spoke with both occupants, and both denied injuries. The fire has caused the home to become inhabitable.
However, according to an arrest report from Gainesville Police Department (GPD), one of the residents, Rachel Dawn Miller, 48, appeared to be under the influence of drugs/alcohol and cursed at fire rescue and law enforcement when they arrived. After the fire was put out, Miller went back inside the house and went to sleep in her bedroom. Law enforcement and fire rescue left the scene.
Around 2 p.m., Miller’s stepmother, who also lives at the house, went to wake her up because the house was uninhabitable and they needed to leave. According to the arrest report, the fire was caused by Miller leaving something in a toaster oven, but Miller started cursing and yelling at her stepmother about the fire. Miller also started hitting the victim, choked her, and threw a large metal stair exercise machine on top of her.
The victim was able to get to the balcony and call for help to neighbors who were walking on the street; the neighbors called 911.
Law enforcement found Miller outside the house, wearing only a bra and with the lower half of her face covered in feces. She tried to run inside the house and refused to follow officers’ orders. Officers tased her, but she still resisted being put in handcuffs.
Miller was transported to the hospital, where she resisted both EMS and ER staff by kicking, hitting, and spitting. An ER nurse was hit and kicked, causing swelling to her hand and thumb.
Miller had a warrant out of GPD for failure to appear regarding a DUI charge. At last report, Miller was still in the hospital.