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Ex-Wife Of Ex-Buc Gets Break In Burned Belongings Case

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By TODD LESKANIC | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 21, 2008

DADE CITY - The ex-wife of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Ricky Reynolds pleaded guilty this morning to one count of criminal mischief in a deal with prosecutors.

Pamela Reynolds had been charged with felony criminal mischief for burning the belongings of Ricky Reynolds and Lori Smith.

She was sentenced to a year of probation, ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution to Smith and told to do 24 hours of community service.

Pasco-Pinellas Assistant State Attorney Mike Mervine agreed to reduce the charge from a felony in exchange for Reynolds' guilty plea and agreement to pay restitution and to perform the community service.

At the time of the fire in 2007, the Reynoldses were living together in their Lake Jovita home. Ricky Reynolds lived upstairs; his estranged wife lived downstairs. Their three children lived with them, and they had agreed not to bring any significant others into the house.

On Aug. 26, Pamela Reynolds returned home from a trip and found some belongings of Smith, then of West Chester, Ohio, in the house. She took Smith's laptop, jewelry, briefcase, suitcase and clothing and some of her husband's football memorabilia and burned it in the driveway.

She then called her husband, who was out bowling with his children and Smith, and told him to come home because "I'm burning all her" stuff.

This year, Smith filed a lawsuit against Pamela Reynolds. Smith alleges that bad publicity generated when Reynolds set fire to Smith's belongings caused her to lose her job and took away business from a firm she had started in Ohio.

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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