Roseville Man Arrested in Arson Investigation

Roseville, Calif.- Tuesday morning, Roseville Police officers arrested Robert De Los Santos, age 43 of Roseville suspected of starting a vegetation fire near Foothills Boulevard and Pleasant Grove Boulevard. 

The arrest came about because of a nearly month-long investigation by Roseville Fire Department arson investigators and Roseville Police.
 
Roseville Fire Department personnel noted an unusually high number of vegetation fires in the open space corridor southeast of the Foothills Boulevard/Pleasant Grove Boulevard intersection since early July.  Fortunately each time firefighters were able to bring the fires under control before the fires became a threat to the public and surrounding homes. 
 
Roseville Fire’s arson investigators determined that the fires were deliberately set, and met with Roseville Police officers to investigate the series.  They also notified residents near the arson fires to be on the alert and to immediately call 911 if they saw any signs of fire, or any suspicious activity.
 
When a vegetation fire in the same area was reported at 3:49 a.m. Tuesday, September 23, Roseville police officers immediately responded and began searching the area, eventually stopping a man riding a bicycle on a nearby residential street.  Their investigation led the officers and arson investigators to searches of the man’s nearby house, where they found tools and materials commonly used to start fires, as well as materials that can be used to create improvised explosive devices.
 
Robert De Los Santos, age 43 of Roseville, was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the September 23 fire.  He’s being held in the Placer County Jail in lieu of $170,000 bail.  The police and fire investigation team are continuing to investigate De Los Santos’s involvement in other arson fires.