UPD: Suspect charged with arson

Emergency bail increase granted by judge

A man arrested after a series of fires were set in the south end of Ukiah last week was officially charged with arson Monday, the Ukiah Police Department reported.

UPD Lt. Cedric Crook said Fredrick L. J. Fitch, 26, was arrested May 6 after five fires were set in two areas that night — one on pallets behind the Furniture Design Center on Airport Park Boulevard, then four more in dry vegetation along the railroad tracks near the Emerald Sun cannabis processing facility.

Fitch was reportedly seen in the area by both a witness and on surveillance footage, and was later arrested by officers and charged with violating his probation after both a machete and knife were reportedly found in his possession.

Though many suspects are currently being released without bail due to an emergency state order, Crook said Fitch qualified for bail that night because his probation stemmed from domestic violence charges. Under the state’s order, 13 charges qualify for bail; most of them are felonies, but also misdemeanor offenses such as domestic violence and driving under the influence.

The night of the fires, crews from the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority responded to both scenes to extinguish the blazes and investigate them as potential crimes. Crook said that Fitch was not charged with arson last week because evidence was still being processed.

Crook said this week that the arson investigation concluded “all five fires were intentionally

started using an ‘ open flame device,’” and that a small propane tank with a torch attachment had been found in Fitch’s backpack the night of the fires.

On Monday, Fitch was charged with five counts of arson and three more counts of violating his probation. Because of the state order, Crook said the bail for the arson charges would have been zero, so due to “the danger to the community and his prior criminal history,” the UPD contacted a local judge and was granted an emergency bail increase of $60,000.

Second such bail request for UPD

Crook said Fitch is the second suspect the UPD deemed enough of a safety risk to request that a judge impose a greater bail amount, the first being another man arrested last week.

“( Freeman was suspected of being) involved in multiple altercations where the victims wouldn’t press charges,” said Crook, referring to Joshua S. Freeman, 41, of Potter Valley.

Crook said in February Freeman had outstanding arrest warrants carrying bail of $265,000 related to charges of vehicle theft, hit-and-run and driving on a suspended license.

But officers did not locate Freeman until responding to a call about a fight at the large homeless encampment along Hastings Avenue near the Ukiah Municipal Airport at 10 a.m. April 28.

Officers arrested Freeman, but Crook said he was released on zero bail due to the state order. The following week on May 5, Crook said officers responded to a call in the 900 block of South State Street at 3:20 p.m. for a man who said he had been hit by a man wielding a large stick. Freeman, the suspect, had left the area but was later located and charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

“But since it did not cause ‘gross bodily harm,’ the charge did not qualify for bail,” said Crook, explaining that officers then called a judge to request bail, as is allowed when law enforcement officers believe a defendant poses a great enough risk to public safety.

Crook said the UPD was granted “a substantial amount of bail” for Freeman due to the suspect’s history and past arrests, but that bail amount has since been reduced. Crook described the current situation regarding bail for defendants as “extremely frustrating.”