Someone set fire to S&K Farm Stand on Riva Road in Davidsonville sometime between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Sunday, August 2, leaving the wooden structure that owners Nelson Smith and Madyson Kreiter spent months building burnt to a crisp. Authorities have determined the fire was intentionally set, and the young couple believes whoever did it broke into the stand's lockbox first and found nothing worth taking.
Smith, 22, and Kreiter, 19, opened the stand in August 2025 to sell fresh produce Smith grows himself, along with baked goods, and the two have spent nearly every day there from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. since. As reported by CBS News Baltimore, Smith said the lockbox contained no money when investigators checked it, and he believes the fire may have started near a camera in the back left corner of the stand — possibly because the perpetrators realized they were being recorded or came up empty-handed. Kreiter told the outlet the ordeal was “devastating.”
The Capital Gazette separately reported that the structure was destroyed in the blaze, describing it as having been burnt to a crisp, and noted that commuters who pass the stand on Riva Road every day began offering help almost immediately.
Neighbors and Businesses Step In
That outreach hasn't been limited to passersby. Kelly Bell, who owns Bell House Catering Company, shared the couple's story on social media and said their independence at a young age is amazing, according to the same account. Bell has committed to donating baked goods to the stand on August 8, with proceeds from that sale going toward a stronger, more secure replacement structure.
Civic groups beyond Davidsonville have joined in too. American Legion Post 226 in neighboring Mayo publicly amplified fundraising calls on behalf of the young business owners, a sign of how far the support has traveled beyond the immediate neighborhood. Customers have continued stopping by the stand to encourage Smith and Kreiter to keep going, and the couple says they plan to expand the stand and continue serving the Davidsonville community.
A Rural Corridor Built on Small Farms
Riva Road functions as a major rural artery connecting Davidsonville's agricultural community to commuter routes toward Annapolis and Interstate 50, according to Anne Arundel County planning documents — heavy daily traffic that helped give the stand its visibility and loyal customer base. Davidsonville sits within South County, home to most of the county's preserved farmland under a long-term policy protecting at least 20,000 acres of working agriculture, per the same county records.
County planning reports citing USDA Census of Agriculture data show Anne Arundel County has nearly 400 working farms covering roughly 27,000 acres, a slight growth in farm count even as overall farmland acreage has contracted. Direct-to-consumer stands like S&K allow small operators to stay financially viable on modest footprints, and Anne Arundel County also supports young farmers through CASE and Future Farmers of America programs based at nearby Southern High School.
Smith has said farming provides healthy food for the community, a line that speaks to why the loss of the stand struck such a nerve locally. Farming provides healthy food for the community, according to Smith, and losing the stand to arson threatened that mission before neighbors stepped in.
Fire Response and Investigation
Emergency calls in Davidsonville are handled by Arundel Volunteer Fire Department Station 7, which the Anne Arundel County Fire Department upgraded in May 2024 to full 24/7 staffing with career firefighters and paramedics working alongside volunteers. The station was originally built in 1976 to serve what was then a quiet farming area and now answers thousands of calls a year as South County has grown.
Under Section 6-103 of the Maryland Criminal Law Code, willfully setting fire to a non-dwelling commercial or outbuilding structure like the farm stand constitutes second-degree arson, a felony carrying up to 20 years in prison and fines as high as $30,000, according to Seddiq Law. That charge is distinct from first-degree arson of an occupied residence, which can carry up to 30 years. Anyone with information can call the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Arson Hotline at 1-800-492-7529, which offers rewards of up to $5,000 for anonymous tips leading to an arrest and conviction, per CoastTV.
It isn't the first time an intentional fire has drawn investigators to Davidsonville. In June 2025, a burned vehicle containing human remains was discovered in the area, leading to a homicide investigation and the arrest of two teenagers. Whether investigators have recovered usable footage from security cameras along Riva Road in the farm stand case, and what specific upgrades Smith and Kreiter plan for their rebuilt structure, remain open questions as the case continues.
