Accused Vallejo arsonist gets new preliminary hearing date
Williams charged with damage to Anchor Pantry, The Joint
Following a mental health placement review, a 33-year-old Vallejo man later deemed competent to stand trial on arson charges will face a newly scheduled preliminary hearing next month in Solano County Superior Court.
Xavier H. Williams, who appeared Friday for proceedings in Department 23, heard Judge B. Ellis order him to return for the hearing at 10 a.m. April in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
As previously reported, the ongoing developments in the case comes after the court received a competency report from Dr. Andrew Blaine on Oct. 20 and Ellis noted it on Nov. 3, court records show.
Williams was arrested in mid-May last year 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 for a time last year, pending a placement report.
During an earlier proceeding in the case, on 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 who is 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 remains in custody in the Claybank Detention Facility, with bail set at $75,000 on the arson charge, 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.
As previously reported by the Vallejo Times-Herald, 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.