Man Suspected Of Lighting Woman's Tent On Fire In Placerville Arrested
PLACERVILLE (CBS13) — Authorities say they have arrested a man suspected of lighting a tent on fire and leaving a woman who was sleeping in it with second and third-degree burns.
The incident happened back on the early morning hours of Jan. 1. Placerville police say a woman had shown up at the Marshall Hospital ER with severe burns to a significant portion of her body.
The woman told officers that she was sleeping in a tent under the Placerville Driver extension bridge when she heard a loud explosion. Next thing she knew, her tent was engulfed in flames.
With help from another person in a neighboring camp, the woman was able to put out the fire. However, it was then that the woman realized that she had suffered some significant burns.
Police say the woman was later taken to the UC Davis Medical Center due to the severity of her burns; she suffered second and third-degree burns to 20 percent of her body.
Detectives have been working to identify a suspect and were eventually able to identify a man named Jacob Vargas as a person of interest.
Officers arrested Vargas on Monday. During an interview with investigators, Vargas reportedly confessed to starting the fire.
After the interview, police say Vargas tried to run away from officers while waiting to get put back in a patrol car to be taken to the El Dorado County Jail. Vargas didn't get too far, however, and he was escorted back and put in the back seat.
Vargas has since been booked into jail and is being held without bail. He's facing charges of attempted murder, mayhem, arson, and attempted escape from custody.