A man believed responsible for starting a fire behind an abandoned fast food restaurant on North State Street in Ukiah Saturday was arrested, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office reported.
MCSO Spokesman Capt. Quincy Cromer said that Kristo M. Ousey, 40, of Ukiah, met another person at the empty building "to smoke marijuana and Ousey negligently discarded the ashes, (which) are believed to be the cause of the fire."
Cromer said that Ousey was arrested on suspicion of a parole violation, and was booked into Mendocino County under a no-bail hold while the MCSO conducts "an arson investigation, and (we) plan on requesting an additional charge of arson with the (Mendocino County) District Attorney."
Cromer said that the MCSO's investigation into the fire "includes obtaining surveillance footage from nearby businesses."
When asked whether the second person at the scene with Ousey was arrested, Cromer said not to his knowledge.
Personnel from the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority and Cal Fire responded to the fire June 15, and given the "multiple calls to 911," firefighters originally believed that the building was on fire, but upon arrival "found a grass fire burning next to the building" that was quickly extinguished.
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