Prelim hearing set in Vallejo arson
Following a mental health placement review, a 33-year-old Vallejo man later deemed competent to stand trial on arson charges faces a preliminary hearing setting in the case early next year.
Xavier H. Williams received a competency report from Dr. Andrew Blaine on Oct. 20 and Solano County Superior Court Judge John B. Ellis noted it Nov. 3, court records show.
After appearing again Monday in Ellis' courtroom, Department 23, the judge ordered Williams to return at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 11 for a readiness conference and to set the hearing in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
Williams was arrested in mid-May on felony warrants and suspicion of arson in connection to an early morning blaze that damaged two Vallejo businesses.
Criminal proceedings against him were suspended earlier this year, pending a placement report.
During an earlier proceeding Aug. 5, Ellis ordered Williams committed to the Department of State Hospitals' trial competency program for a maximum of two years or until he was restored to competency.
Later that month, on Aug. 23, a court report showed that Williams would be administered anti-psychotic drugs voluntarily; and, within 90 days, the medical director at the state hospital would submit a progress report to the court.
Under state law, specifically Penal Code section 1368, a defendant considered unable to help in his or her defense or understand court proceedings cannot be tried. However, once they are deemed competent, criminal charges can be reinstated and the defendant can be scheduled to face more court proceedings, including a jury trial.
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 was in custody in the Stanton Correctional Facility at the time, with bail set at $75,000 on the arson charge. He remains in the Fairfield facility, Solano County Sheriff's Office records show.
Besides the felony arson charge, Williams faced several other felony charges based on warrants, among them, carrying a loaded firearm; being a felon in possession of a firearm; and vandalism. His total bail on all the charges is $115,000, according to jail records.
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 on suspicion of arson.
Vallejo Fire Department spokesperson and firefighter Aaron Klauber said at the time 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, more firefighters arrived, 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's first floor was damaged. The Joint, a retail shop offering handmade vintage and modern goods, was “red-tagged,” meaning it was considered unsafe to occupy at the time.