American Canyon man arrested for arson and attempted murder of former girlfriend
A 29-year-old American Canyon man is facing attempted murder charges after allegedly setting his former girlfriend’s Vallejo home on fire early Saturday morning, Vallejo police said.
Neil Coates is accused of starting the blaze inside of a detached garage in the 100 Block of Spencer Street as his former girlfriend and her 72-year-old mother were asleep inside of the main residence. Both women were able to escape from the fire.
Firefighters responded to the fire at about 5:14 a.m. and found the garage in flames. They were able to extinguish the blaze and prevent the fire from damaging the home.
While first responders were continuing their investigation at the residence, Coates returned and attempted to force his way into the home. During this process, Coates physically assaulted the female victim, police said.
Vallejo police officers responded back to the residence. While officers attempted to detain Coates, he physically resisted. He was eventually taken into custody, police added.
Coates is also facing two other felony charges of robbery and arson, the Solano County booking logs show. He has also been charged with resisting arrest.
He’s being held without bail. His first court date is Tuesday, records show.
Anyone with who may have additional information on this crime is encouraged to contact Det. Joel Caitham at (707) 6484280.
“The Vallejo Police Department takes these criminal incidents very seriously,” officials said. “We want to encourage those impacted, along with survivors of domestic violence to the following resources.”
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a 24hour confidential service for survivors, victims and those effected by domestic violence, intimate partner violence and relationship abuse. The Hotline advocates are available at 1-800799-SAFE and through online chatting at www.TheHotline.org.
The Solano County Office of Family Violence Prevention also offers confidential services and can be reached at: http://www.solanocounty.com/depts/fvp/domestic_violence.asp.