(Citrus County, FL) This morning, Judge Healis sentenced 30-year-old Immanuel Zachariah Smith to 5 years in the Florida Department of Corrections followed by two years of felony probation for his 2025 arrest.
“This sentencing is not shocking considering the severity of the crime committed by this defendant,” said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney. “Linemen shouldn’t have to worry about being shot at while simply doing their jobs. They’re out there working to restore power and keep our communities running. No worker should ever have to fear for their life just for showing up to work. There is absolutely no excuse for this defendant putting these workers in fear for their lives.”
Smith was found guilty by a jury back on July 16, 2026, on two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon after taking the case to trial.
“Violence against our linemen and employees is never acceptable. They already have one of the hardest jobs in the world working on high voltage power lines,” said Withlacoochee Rive Electric Cooperative Executive Vice-President and General Manager David Lambert II. “I personally went out there that night to see the conditions of where these employees were working. They were never on the defendant’s property. With the company truck’s lights flashing, there’s no way this defendant didn’t know this was an electric truck – it’s clearly identifiable. The safety of our employees is paramount to us and I am glad its also of importance to Judge Healis.”
On December 5, 2025, deputies with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) where dispatched to a residence off North Nicosia Point in Dunnellon regarding a shooting. Responding deputies learned from both victims, who were linemen with an electric company, that they had arrived at the address in their electric cooperative bucket truck equipped with yellow flashing lights to fix a reported power outage.
While working to correct the issue, both linemen walked down the property line to inspect another power pole when the defendant, later identified as Smith, started shouting obscenities at the pair. Smith stated to both victims that they were trespassing before firing multiple shots from a firearm. In fear of being shot, both victims took cover behind a nearby recreational vehicle before yelling out multiple times, “Power Company.” The victims indicated to officials after yelling this to the defendant, Smith replied by saying, “I don’t give a “expletive.’”
Law enforcement made contact with Smith, who advised he saw both individuals on his property and went inside to retrieve his gun. After exiting the home, he yelled to the individuals that they were trespassing before firing multiple shots into the ground. During their investigation, deputies determined that the victims were never on the defendant’s property trespassing, only along the fence line during the commission of the duties to restore power in the area. Smith was arrested and charged.
When Chief Executive Officer Curtis Wynn of SECO heard about this case, he said this, “The safety of our employees is THE top priority for SECO’s management, the board , and our fellow utility workers. We welcome stronger enforcement of laws that protect SECO’s employees and utility workers from fatal and injurious threats when they do their jobs to provide reliable service to our members. At times, doing so requires access to private property, at which times giving property owners proper respect, identification, and reasons for being on their property are common practices.”
The Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office is thankful to Sheriff David Vincent’s team at the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office for responding to this incident and investigating this crime. The office is also thankful to our electric cooperative partners at Withlacoochee and SECO for their collaboration in propelling our mission to keep our linemen and utility workers safe. And lastly, thank you to Assistant State Attorney Tara Hartman for successfully prosecuting this case on behalf of the victims involved.
Published on 08/21/2026.