A Citrus County judge on Friday morning handed down a five-year prison sentence to a 30-year-old Dunnellon man who opened fire on utility workers trying to fix a power outage.
Judge Healis ordered Immanuel Zachariah Smith to serve five years in the Florida Department of Corrections, to be followed by two years of felony probation. The sentencing follows a jury trial where Smith was convicted on July 16 on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The charges stem from a nighttime incident on Dec. 5, 2025. Deputies with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home off North Nicosia Point in Dunnellon after receiving reports of gunfire.
According to investigators, two linemen arrived at the neighborhood in a marked electric cooperative bucket truck featuring flashing yellow lights to address a reported power outage. While working to identify the issue, the workers walked along a property line toward an adjacent utility pole.
Smith confronted the crew from his yard, shouting profanities and accusing them of trespassing before firing several gunshots. The linemen took cover behind a parked recreational vehicle and repeatedly identified themselves by yelling “Power Company.” Smith responded with another expletive, according to incident reports.
When deputies questioned Smith, he told law enforcement he saw two people on his land, went inside his house to retrieve a firearm, walked back outside, and fired rounds into the ground to drive them off. Investigators later concluded the workers were never on Smith’s property, having remained strictly along the public fence line while carrying out power repairs. Deputies arrested Smith at the scene.
“This sentencing is not shocking considering the severity of the crime committed by this defendant,” Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson said following the hearing. “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.”
Utility leadership also addressed the verdict and emphasized field crew safety.
“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 David Lambert II, executive vice president and general manager of Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. “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.”
Curtis Wynn, chief executive officer of SECO Energy, reiterated the need for worker protections during field operations.
“The safety of our employees is THE top priority for SECO’s management, the board, and our fellow utility workers,” Wynn stated. “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 case was investigated by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff David Vincent and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Tara Hartman.
READ: Oklahoma Man Jailed In Florida Keys After Deputy Finds Six Queen Conch
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
