Lodi mom stunned after senseless act
Son recovering after being set on fire in Isleton
A man from Lodi suffered severe burns when he was reportedly set on fire near Isleton on Monday morning, according to Sgt. Shaun Hampton of the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.
In a video posted on the department’s Facebook page, Hampton said that deputies responded to reports of an adult male who had sustained major burn injuries near the Cliffhouse Fishing Access, south of Isleton in South Sacramento County at approximately 5:57 a.m. Monday.
After learning that the victim had been taken to a hospital by a private vehicle where he is being treated for burns, investigators reported that the victim had been intentionally set on fire by Robert Flemmings, 33, of Isleton, who is being held on $350,000 bail in Sacramento County Jail.
The victim, Joseph Jeffrey Lopes, 21, of Lodi, was identified by his mother, Claudia Lopes, and her boyfriend William Smith. Claudia Lopes received a phone call at approximately 10:30 a.m. Monday informing her that her son was in the intensive care unit at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, she said. Although she does not own a car, Smith was able to drive her to the hospital Monday and Tuesday.
“I never thought, in a million years, that this would happen, I’m still in shock. Who does such a thing?,” Claudia Lopes said at her home in Lodi on Wednesday. “Thank goodness my boyfriend was here, that was a blessing. He was able to take me there immediately, we got to the hospital at about 12:30. I’m thankful for my boyfriend, he’s such a nice guy. We’ve been together for 13 years, and he thinks of Joseph as his own son,” Claudia said.
When Lopes and Smith arrived at 12:30 p.m., she said, they found Joseph with first-, second- and third-degree burns on approximately 25 percent of his body. Although he is now in stable condition in the burn unit, she explained, his face and neck are covered in blisters and he is unable to open his eyes. He was scheduled for skin graft surgery on Wednesday for his hands, which also received severe burns, she added.
“(The attacker) threw gas on his face and lit him on fire. His face was on fire, his whole neck was on fire, his hands were on fire from trying to put it out. I never saw something like that in my life. He’s getting skin grafts today on his hands because they want to make sure he doesn’t lose mobility. We’ve got a long road ahead of us,” Lopes said.
When she asked the doctors how long they expect Joseph will remain in the hospital, they told her that it would depend on how quickly he heals, although she expects it will be at least a few months. In addition to the skin grafts on his hands, doctors plan to treat his face and neck to prevent infection, she explained.
“This is a life-changing event for him, I hope he finds the Lord. I can’t push the Lord on him, he has to deal with it in his own way, but this must be very traumatic for him. I really want to be there for him, I want him to know that someone’s there for him,” Lopes said.
Besides his physical injuries, Lopes is also concerned for her son’s mental well-being. A devout Christian, Lopes has turned to prayer to help with her own turmoil, and hopes that her son will do the same.
“I’m on a mission of prayer, I’m asking everyone who loves the Lord to pray. I think prayers can really help, too. The doctors said he’d be asleep for days, but he was up earlier than they thought,” she said.
Although Smith was able to take Lopes to see her son on Monday and Tuesday, for which she was grateful, she said that he is not able to do so every day. As she does not own a car and lacks sufficient funding for a car or gas, Claudia said, she needs help with transportation to be with her son in his time of need.
“I don’t like to ask for help, but when it’s your own child, what are you going to do? The only thing I ask of people is to pray for Joseph, and anything people can do to assist with a car, gas or a ride. But prayer comes first,” Lopes said.
Those wishing to help should email News-Sentinel Staff writer John Bays at