Riverside County man held on suspicion of setting 9 wildfires
A Riverside County man has been arrested on suspicion of setting wildfires across the Inland Empire, fire officials said Monday.
Steven Taylor Rutherford, 47, who lives in Banning, is suspected of sparking nine blazes in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The arrest was the third arson arrest in the last week by Cal Fire investigators and should serve as a warning to others considering similar crimes, the agency said.
“Let it send a message to anyone contemplating this heinous act,” Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said.
Rutherford was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
Anyone with information on arson fires is asked to call Cal Fire investigators at (800) 468-4408.
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