Man Suspected Of Arson In Thousand Oaks Brush Fire
THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA) – Authorities have identified a 25-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a small brush fire which broke out off the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks last week.
In the early morning hours of June 16, a brush fire erupted in the 200 block of Rancho Road, just south of the 101 Freeway.
Ventura County Fire Department crews responded and quickly extinguished the blaze, which burned about one acre. No structures were damaged.
That same morning, after a witness called emergency dispatchers to report seeing a man starting the fire, California Highway Patrol officers located and detained a suspect, identified as Gustavo Martinez Ramirez, about 150 yards from where the fire had started.
The Ventura County Sheriff's Office reported Tuesday that investigators determined that the fire was indeed arson.
Ramirez was arrested on one felony count of arson. He is being held on $60,000 bail. His first court hearing is scheduled for July 1.