Mental health placement report set for Vallejo man charged with arson

Judge orders Xavier H. Williams, 32, to return to Department 23 at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 5 for the report proceeding in Fairfield

The 32-year-old Vallejo man arrested two months ago on felony warrants and on suspicion of arson in connection with an early morning blaze that damaged two Vallejo businesses faces a mental health placement report in the coming weeks in Solano County Superior Court.

Criminal proceedings have been suspended for Xavier H. Williams, whose previously scheduled Friday proceeding in Department 23 was vacated by Judge John B. Ellis, who set the report proceeding for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 5 in the Justice Center in Fairfield.

Williams is charged with the May 17 fire that damaged the Anchor Pantry and also damaged the Joint, a neighboring retail store, in downtown Vallejo.

Pleading not guilty at jail arraignment, Williams is represented by the Solano County Public Defender. He remains in custody, with bail set at $75,000, in the Stanton Correctional Facility in Fairfield.

Besides the felony arson charge, Williams faces several other felony charges based on warrants, including carrying a loaded firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and vandalism. He also faces a dozen misdemeanors stemming from a warrant, charges that range from contempt of court to possession of a controlled substance to petty theft.

As previously reported in the Vallejo Times-Herald, Vallejo public safety officials reported a 3:26 a.m. dispatch call indicating the Anchor Pantry, a gourmet grocery store at 617 Marin St., was on fire.

Investigators allege that Williams lit the fire there. A short time later, he was found nearby, in the 400 block of Santa Clara Street, where he was arrested on the warrants and the arson charge, also a felony.

Vallejo Fire Department spokesperson and firefighter Aaron Klauber said that the owners of Anchor Pantry noticed that they had a ring alarm and video of a man at the front of the storefront trying to light a fire. Firefighters were first on the scene and tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher to keep the flames in check but without success, according to Klauber.

The fire went to a second alarm, and the flames were doused in 14 minutes. The second alarm was called due to neighboring buildings with multiple floors, according to Klauber. No injuries were reported, but Anchor Pantry had most of its first floor damaged while The Joint, a retail shop offering handmade vintage and modern goods, was redtagged, meaning it is considered unsafe to occupy.

Two GoFundMe pages were started by Alibi Bookshop co-owner Karen Finlay soon after the fire was put out. Alibi Bookshop is across the street from Anchor Pantry and The Joint.

The fundraising page for Anchor Pantry is www.gofundme.com/f/help-jessicaand-frank-rebuild-anchorpantry.

A separate page was made for the Joint, owned by Stephanie Brown, at www.gofundme.com/f/ help-stephanie-rebuild-thejoint-vallejo.