NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Cloverdale man was arrested Sunday on suspicion of setting a number of fires around Sonoma County, including one that burned near Healdsburg on Saturday afternoon.
James Novak, 28, was arrested Sunday morning after hunters near Pine Flat Road saw him setting fires and detained him, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
Officials reported that at 3:30 p.m. Saturday the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office received a call of a possible arson in the area of Dutcher Creek Road in Healdsburg.
A witness saw Novak throwing flares into a canyon off of the paved road. The witness was able to give a good vehicle description with a license plate number, the sheriff's office said.
At the time Cal Fire was in the area working several small fires believed to be caused by an arsonist. Cal Fire said the Dutcher Fire burned 21 acres before being contained Saturday evening.
Several deputies responded to the area and began looking for the suspect. They also responded to the vehicle’s registered owner’s residence on North Jefferson Street in Cloverdale but were unable to locate the vehicle or suspect, officials reported.
At 9 a.m. Sunday the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office received a call of a possible arsonist in the area of Pine Flat Road who had started at least three separate fires and was being detained by four hunters, the agency said.
The hunters were in a remote area off of Pine Flat Road when they observed a subject with a dog. They observed the subject bend down and a short time later they observed flames. The hunters responded to the area of the fire and detained a subject who told them that he was, “Doing a controlled burn,” according to the report.
The hunters detained the subject and called the sheriff’s office. Deputies arrived on scene and took the subject – identified as Novak – into custody, officials said.
Detectives were called out to conduct a followup investigation along with Cal Fire personnel, the report said.
Another arson fire that occurred on Saturday – located behind Novak's residence in Cloverdale – also is being investigated. Officials said a backpack was located in the area of that fire with Novak’s personal information in it.
The investigation is ongoing, according to sheriff's officials.