A judge set bail at $750,000 Wednesday for a man suspected of intentionally setting at least three fires in City Heights — including one to a homeowner’s porch.
Alleged arsonist Rolando Resendiz, 24, was arrested April 3 as he walked near a fire set to the porch of a home in the 5200 block of Ogden Street, police said. Detectives from San Diego’s Metro-Arson Strike Team (MAST) stopped and questioned Resendiz about the fire and he was subsequently arrested.
Prosecutors say the suspect was caught on surveillance video.
Resendiz pleaded not guilty to two counts of arson to an inhabited structure and three counts of arson to property at his Wednesday arraignment.
The judge said someone could've died in the porch fire allegedly set by Resendiz. The judge called the suspected arsonist a danger before deciding on his bail amount.
The defendant's attorney argued that Resendiz has no prior offenses on his record and asked that bail be set at $50,000 instead.
Resendiz's brother-in-law Jordan Thompson said the suspect was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
On April 3, Resendiz went outside to smoke a cigarette because his family didn't like the smoke inside the house, according to Thompson. Though he was near the fire, his relative says he had no involvement in it.
“He’s not the type of person to do this. This seems like an immature thing to do," said Thompson. He told NBC 7 that amid his neighborhood's gang activity, Resendiz always stayed out of trouble.
Evidence collected by investigators linked Resendiz to two other fires set on Landis Street on March 31, officials said. Those involved two mattresses set ablaze in an alleyway near an apartment complex and a fire set inside a dumpster near homes.
Arson has plagued the City Heights community for the past month. Over the course of March, more than one dozen small fires were deliberately set in dumpsters, alleyways, trash cans, beds of pickup trucks and flatbed trailers in the Mid-City area.
One of those fires, on March 5, was also in the 5200 block of Ogden Street — the same block where Resendiz allegedly struck on April 3.
A map of the City Heights fires can be seen above.
As of Wednesday, investigators had not yet confirmed if Resendiz is the suspect in the 12 other arson fires reported in City Heights. It is unknown if there are additional suspects in this arson series.
Thompson claims another fire last night in City Heights proves the suspect's innocence. "He can't set a fire from jail," the brother-in-law said.
The investigation is ongoing. On Friday, officials announced a $2,000 reward was being offered for information leading to an arrest in this arson series.
