REGIONAL: Cal Fire law enforcement officers arrest Piercy man on arson charges
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Wednesday, Cal Fire law enforcement officers arrested a Piercy man for setting fires in Mendocino County.
Charles Levi Kirk, 18, was arrested for arson, Cal Fire said.
Cal Fire alleges that Kirk started several fires in the Willits, Laytonville, Leggett, and Piercy areas.
The fires in the Leggett and Piercy areas began a month-long cooperative investigation led by Cal Fire officers with the assistance of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office, Cal Fire said.
On Sept. 26, a search warrant was served at Kirk’s property, resulting in the seizure of evidence, officials reported.
Cal Fire said Kirk was taken into custody and transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he will await trial. Bail is set at $150,000.
“I am very proud of our law enforcement officers, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department and the District Attorney's Office for working together on this case,” said Cal Fire MEU Unit Chief George Gonzalez. “Our communities are much safer after this arrest.”
As fire danger remains high across California, wildfires pose a major threat to life, property and California’s natural resources. Cal Fire urges the public to be vigilant in their preparedness and aware of suspicious activity when a fire does start.
If you witness suspicious activity, do not approach the individual or individuals engaging in the suspicious behavior.
If safe to do so, note the description of the individual or individuals, including location, gender, height, weight, clothing description, hair color and any distinguishing characteristics such as tattoos.
If a vehicle is involved in the suspicious activity, the following information can be helpful to investigators: Make and model of vehicle, color of vehicle, location and direction of travel, license plate number – even a partial number can be useful, bumper stickers or other markings, number of occupants, including their descriptions.
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Note the time the suspicious individual and/or vehicle were observed. This can be one of the most important pieces of information for investigators.