Florida Doctor Charged With Stealing Donations Intended for Helene Victims, BCSO Says
WLSO - November 6, 2024 6:14 am
Mark Anthony Smith, 56.(Courtesy Buncombe County Detention Center)
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Mark Anthony Smith, a licensed doctor in Jacksonville, Fla., is charged with multiple crimes including stealing donations intended for Helene victims, according to the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
“It appears they were all things that are being passed out to families in need,” BCSO Detective David Reed said. “Camping stoves, Mr. Buddy heaters, propane tanks, generators – those were recovered at a local pawn shop where he had sold these items for money.”
BCSO deputies recovered more than $12,000 in stolen donations from Hearts Hurt, an Ohio non-profit working in Swannanoa. Smith is said to have stolen more than $2,000 in personal items belonging to the owner/operator of Hearts Hurt.
Smith is alleged to have stolen these items from the owner’s tent and “urinated on a cot causing damage.”