3 Bay Area Men Suspected Of Traveling To Valley Fire Area To Loot Homes
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE (CBS13) – Authorities say they have arrested three men suspected of looting homes in the Valley Fire area.
The men were stopped by a deputy along Jerusalem Grade Road, near Spruce Grove Road, in the area of Hidden Valley Lake. According to the Lake County Sheriff's Department, the deputy peered into their pickup and saw that two of the men were wearing camouflage, while another was dressed all in black.
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Something was off about their story, the deputy soon noted. The three allegedly told the deputy that they were trying to get out of the area to get gas. But when questioned by the deputy about how to get to Lower Lake, the three were stumped.
Further, the three said they were going to drive into an area the deputy knew to be not a straight drive.
The deputy also said he could smell marijuana inside the pickup. The pickup was soon searched and guns, a full face mask, flashlights, large knives and other items were discovered inside.
The three told the deputy they were not looting homes, but the night before a Napa County deputy reportedly saw a pickup with suspected burglars in Cobb. The pickup matched the description of the one stopped by the Lake County deputy.
The men claimed to live on Black Bass Pass, but dispatchers couldn't find any evidence corroborating their story.
All three men – identified as San Francisco resident David Michael Cesari and Brisbane residents Dyami Gene Connell and Michael James Jimenez – were arrested on multiple charges of entering a closed disaster area and conspiracy.