Two teens suspected of arson

Two teens were arrested this week for allegedly setting a field on fire near Costco with a flare gun last month, the Ukiah Police Department reported.

According to the UPD, officers responded to a dry field on Airport Road near Costco in Ukiah around 1:30 p.m. Aug. 22 for a report of a fire. Witnesses to the incident reported seeing “a distress flare being fired from a vehicle toward the field, then seeing smoke rise from the field moments later” while the vehicle fled the area.

Personnel from the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority also responded to the scene to “quickly contain and extinguish the fire” without any structures being damaged.

When UPD officers spoke further with witnesses, they reportedly learned that “a silver sedan contained what appeared to be three young male subjects who were believed to have fired the flare before leaving the area, (and) evidence supporting the use of a flare gun was located at the scene.”

With the use of the city of Ukiah's “FLOCK license plate recognition cameras,” the UPD reports that it was able to obtain photos of the suspect vehicle and its license plate, then ultimately identify the people inside. Further evidence was also found that indicated the use of a flare gun.

On Aug. 25, the UPD was notified by the city's FLOCK camera system that the suspect vehicle was being driven in the city. Officers responded to the area, located the vehicle and performed a traffic stop.

The driver of the vehicle, a 17-year-old male, was “identified as the same subject who had been driving on the day of the incident.” He was arrested on suspicion of four felonies: arson, criminal conspiracy, accessory after the fact, and arson during a state of emergency, then booked into the Mendocino County Juvenile Detention Facility.

Weeks later on Sept. 19, a second suspect identified as 18-yearold Gabriel Ruiz was arrested by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office for an unrelated incident in Ukiah.

After being interviewed by a UPD investigator, additional felony charges against Ruiz, specifically arson, criminal conspiracy and committing arson during a state of emergency, were submitted to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office for review.

The third suspect, another 17-year-old male who is not being identified, had not been located by the UPD as of Thursday morning.