Contra Costa Fire Makes 5 Arson Arrests in Past Week

This past week, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District has responded to a series of suspicious fires in the eastern part of the District. In total, they have had 6 cases of arson between May 2-6 in which 5 arrests have been made.

According to Steve Hill, CONFIRE Spokesperson, he confirmed the 5 arrests and they are investigating additional incidents.  Here is a rundown of the arrests:

• May 2 at 5:22 am: Units responded to Verne Roberts and W. 10^th Street in Antioch where they worked with Antioch Police on the case. In total, they had 10 separate intentionally set fires where they identified Moises Sanchez as the suspect—he was arrested on 10 counts of arson.
• May 4 at 1:28 am: Units responded to the 500 block of Laura Ann Court in Bay Point where two vehicles were on fire. It was later determined by investigators that the fire was intentionally set. The suspect fled the area and was later arrested. They have not yet pursued charges due to COVID-19, however, they will file after COVI-19 pandemic.
• May 4 at 11:48 pm: Units responded to an exterior fire in the 2300 block of Clayton Road in Concord where they worked with Concord Police to identify a suspect in connection with several separate intentionally set fires in the area. John Hurst was arrested that same night. According to Hill, Hurst was on probation for arson from a previous incident.
• May 5 at 9:14 am: Units responded to an exterior fire at Somersville Road and Delta Fair in Antioch. In working with Antioch police who were able to locate surveillance video of the fire being set along with other evidence. They identified the suspect as Trent Albright who was later taken into custody. According to Hill, he was also arrested for suspicion in another case from last week on Hillcrest and Wildflower in Antioch. He is also on probation for an arson related case from 2017.
• May 5 at 8:32 pm: Units responded to an exterior fire at Solano Way and Grand in Concord. In working with Concord Police, they were able to identify the suspect as Melissa Leyendecker. She was also recognized as someone seen near other fires in the past. She was arrested and taken to county jail and is awaiting charges to be filed.
• May 6 at 2:51 am: Units responded to Willow Pass Road and State Route 4 in Concord for a report of a structure fire. They arrived on scene where they located Philip Carrasco who they believe set the fire and upon investigation, was placed under arrested.

Scott Alonso, spokesperson with the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, confirmed they have filed charges on both Albright and Hurst.

Meanwhile, the Contra Costa County Sheriffs office confirmed all five suspects were in custody as of Friday afternoon.

Hill stated multiple fires are still under investigation and COVID-19 is presenting a challenge but noted in general terms there is no part of the county that has an exclusive on arson fires, but this past week they have been in the eastern part of the District between Antioch and Concord.

“We take fire investigation very seriously in Contra Costa Fire and we have a robust team of investigators,” said Hill. “In the cases of intentionally set fires, we want to protect our community by taking these people of the streets whenever we can. We have a good record of identifying arsonists and getting them arrested and prosecuted.”

He says the ability to make arrests rely on their partnership with local police departments and the participation of the public.

“Our partnership with local law enforcement is instrumental in identifying suspects in a number of these cases while we also rely heavily on evidence that we receive from residents and witnesses in the form of calls to the tip line, comments to investigators on scene and those making video available from their security system which is indispensable in solving crimes,” said Hill.