Man charged with attempted homicide after crashing truck into house

A Pablo man is back in the Lake County Jail after being treated for burns after crashing his truck into a residence in the Pablo area in November.

Paul Glen Ailport, 64, was already facing criminal charges for allegedly firing a weapon toward neighbors’ homes while high on methamphetamine on July 13, 2023. He is now facing charges of attempted deliberate homicide, arson and criminal mischief.

According to court records, at about 9:20 a.m. Nov. 10, 2023, reports were made to Lake County emergency dispatchers of a truck “crashing into a residence.” The vehicle was engulfed in flames and the driver was slumped over inside the truck.

The reporting party indicated that it appeared as if the driver deliberately drove the truck into the residence, and also indicated that Ailport had previously threatened to drive his truck into his neighbor’s home on Paper Trail Road. One neighbor said Ailport had even asked which bedroom belonged to a particular resident of the home.

The property owner pulled Aiplort from the truck. He had burns on his back, shoulders, right arm and hand and had to be transported to a burn unit in Utah for treatment. 

The homeowner told a deputy that the house was shaking from the impact "like there had been an earthquake" and heard his daughter screaming. He also told the deputy that Ailport asked the homeowner to "shoot him in the head and put him out of his misery." 

A 19-year-old female, identified only by the initials A.S., was about to step into the shower when the collision propelled a steel beam, approximately 13.5-feet long and weighing 300 pounds, that was apparently loaded in Ailport's truck, through the wall, narrowly missing her head. She believed it landed less than a foot away and would have killed her if it had struck her.

An investigation revealed that Ailport may have been accelerating towards the victim’s house before the collision. The investigation also documented “severe fire damage to the northern wall and siding.” 

The truck also protruded into the foundation of the house, where it had broken off several pieces of concrete and knocked a large structural beam out of place. 

The investigation also led to the discovery of a 228-shot “Triple Cannon” firework that had fallen out of the truck. Burn marks in the grass appeared to have been caused by exploding fireworks. The cab of Ailport's truck was completely burned, and appeared to contain the remnants of "a metal gas can and small propane tank." 

After being treated for his burns in Utah, Ailport was transported back to the Lake County jail to face charges. His bail is set at $2 million.