Man convicted of setting string of brush fires in San Diego County

A Poway man who investigators said may have been setting wildfires for years in San Diego County’s backcountry was found guilty this week of five counts of arson relating to a string of brush fires in Valley Center and Lakeside.

Jonathan Cohen, 45, was convicted Friday by a jury following a two-week trial in El Cajon Superior Court that relied mostly on circumstantial evidence placing Cohen in the vicinity of eight fires in 2014 and 2015 along Lake Wohlford Road in Valley Center and Wildcat Canyon Road in Lakeside.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Andy Aguilar argued that Cohen would usually start the fires after unsuccessful gambling trips to the Barona Resort & Casino in Lakeside and the Valley View Casino & Hotel in Valley Center.

A jail informant testified during the trial that Cohen told him he hated the casinos and wanted to burn them to the ground.

Security cameras recorded video and still images of Cohen’s car traveling on the semi-rural roads within minutes of the time each fire started.

Cohen, who could be sent to prison for more than 11 years when he is sentenced on Sept. 30, did not testify during the trial. After the verdict, Aguilar said he was grateful to the jurors, “who had to sift through a very complicated case that was largely circumstantial in nature. They did a wonderful job.”

The jury deliberated for just over one day before reaching the verdict.

During closing arguments Wednesday, Aguilar told jurors to ask themselves “what are the chances” that Cohen’s car would be passing by areas where flames suddenly erupted eight times. He said fire seemed to follow Cohen wherever he went.

Defense attorney David Thompson argued that the case against his client was flimsy and raised serious doubts about his guilt. “Did anybody say ‘I saw Mr. Cohen do it?’ No.”

Cohen was charged with starting five fires, but prosecutors presented evidence that they said linked him to a total of eight blazes.

Thompson pointed out that only at one fire was any evidence recovered indicating how it began. The other fires were declared arson by a process of elimination, not hard evidence, he maintained.

None of the blazes became large. Most were quickly extinguished by firefighters or citizens. The largest was a three-acre blaze along Highway 67 in Lakeside in summer 2015.

In court documents prepared before Cohen’s arrest last summer, investigators said they thought it was likely that Cohen was responsible for far more fires over the past decade. They called him one of the most dangerous people in the county.

harry.jones@sduniontribune.com

Jones writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

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