Ukiah man Alfredo Hopper was arrested yesterday afternoon after he allegedly poured gasoline on hay bales, lit them on fire, and threw them on Old River Road southeast of Ukiah.
California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Olegario Marin told us the initial call regarding the disturbance came out at 3:21 p.m. and several agencies responded including Ukiah Police Department, Ukiah Valley Fire Authority, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire, and CHP.
Officer Marin explained that reports indicated Hopper had parked his green Chevrolet S10 truck in the roadway blocking both lanes before using gasoline as an accelerant to light the hay bales on fire.
Hopper walked down the roadway and lit hay bales on fire as he went, Officer Marin explained. Fire personnel located and detained the suspect and Officer Marin said he was found in possession of a gasoline canister and an incendiary device.
Officer Marin said there were no reports that the hay bale fires spread to any roadside vegetation.
Ukiah Valley Fire Authority’s Battalion Chief Eric Singleton confirmed UVFA personnel were dispatched to the scene regarding a possible vegetation fire associated with a vehicle parked in the roadway lighting fires.
MCSO’s Public Information Officer Captain Greg Van Patten said deputies responded assisting CHP in locating and subduing a male subject who was lighting hay doused with gasoline on fire in the 8000 block of Old River Road.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Booking Logs indicate Hopper faces charges of causing a fire of property and the possession or manufacture of combustible or incendiary device. Hopper’s bail has been set at $10,000.
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