Riverside County man charged with intentionally setting fire to cover up murder
A Riverside County man was charged with murder and other offenses after he allegedly set multiple fires to cover up his crimes last week.
On top of murder, Preston Garrett Young, a 48-year-old man from Aguanga, faces three counts of arson, one count of possession of a zip gun, a special circumstances allegation of perpetrating arson in the commission of a homicide and multiple sentence-enhancing allegations that include using incendiary devices to ignite fires and starting fires in an area where a state of emergency exists.
Young was arrested on Tuesday after an investigation was launched over multiple small fires reported near the Jojoba Hills RV Resort in Aguanga, which is nearly 20 miles east of Temecula. He has remained behind bars since in lieu of $1 million bail.
On Monday evening, just before 5 p.m., Riverside County Fire Department crews were sent to the RV resort on Highway 79 for reports of several fires in the area, including one that involved a trailer.
They quickly contained both fires, one of which spread from a storage yard west of the resort into the brush on a nearby hillside. Overall, firefighters say that they consumed just over two acres before the fires were completely contained at around 5:45 p.m.
While surveying the area, firefighters discovered a woman's body inside of the trailer that was previously on fire. She is only identified in court documents as "Carol W."
After making the discovery, firefighters called the Riverside County Sheriff's Office to report what they found. Central Homicide Unit detectives were dispatched to launch an investigation.
Though they have not yet disclosed how the woman died or a possible motive behind her murder, investigators say that Young was identified by multiple witnesses "as the subject possibly involved in the fatal fire."
While investigating the matter, detectives found evidence that supported the allegations which led to Young's arrest. He was taken into custody Tuesday morning near Highway 79 and Highway 371, deputies said.
He was scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
