Serial arsonist in Sacramento arrested again after starting fire
By Brittany Hope
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SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A man with a history of arson, described by the Sacramento Fire Department as a serial arsonist, was arrested again after starting another fire.
Sacramento police officers and investigators with the fire department arrested 39-year-old Carlos Menjivar on May 4 after allegedly setting fire to an old Caltrans yard on Fruitridge Road, just off Highway 99. Capt. Justin Sylvia, a spokesperson for the fire department, said help in the arrest came from an eyewitness who reported the fire.
“We’re lucky in this instance that someone did see him do it,” Sylvia said. “Since arson is a very hard crime to prove, you have to have either admission, cameras catching the person, or a witness like we had here who came forward and identified the suspect.”
He said it’s even more difficult when the suspect may be experiencing homelessness like Menjivar allegedly was.
Menjivar’s history of committing arson is linked back to 16 fires in the city of Sacramento alone, investigators with the fire department said.
According to court documents obtained by KCRA 3 and the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, he was convicted of felony recklessly causing a fire and was sentenced to 277 days in jail and formal probation after setting fires at three different locations.
KCRA 3 is still waiting to hear back from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about his release from jail on those earlier charges.
“Hopefully, with his past convictions, the court system looks at those and can put him away for a longer sentence, or this person needs help,” Sylvia said. “Maybe it’s a mental health issue or a substance abuse issue, but something has to be done just because this is a huge public safety risk.”
Menjivar is due back in court on May 15 and is being held on $50,000 bail.
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