Suspect in Arson Threat Is Arrested After Walking Away From Hospital : Crime: Authorities thought the Vista man would be held at psychiatric hospital, but he was released, returning to the gas station where the incident occurred.

A Vista man who allegedly threatened to set himself and a gasoline tanker afire Monday was arrested Wednesday, a day after authorities learned that he had been released from the county’s psychiatric hospital and had returned to the scene of the incident.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department had hoped to place the man, identified as 27-year-old Thomas E. Siddons, under arrest Tuesday--expecting him to still be at the hospital where he was taken Monday afternoon for psychiatric observation. Under state law, people can be held there for observation for up to 72 hours.

But, when the arresting deputy arrived Tuesday morning with her paperwork, she was told by officials at the hospital that she had missed him by an hour or two. Appropriate to state law, Siddons was released after a psychiatric screening found there was no reason for him to be held there any longer, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Charles Bell.

Later Tuesday, Siddons showed up at the same gas station where, on Monday, he allegedly stood clad in only a bathing suit, holding a book of matches and threatening to engulf himself and the tanker truck in flames after opening connections that allowed gasoline to spill on the pavement.

He was wrestled to the ground by a gas station customer in the Monday incident and detained by others until deputies arrived.

Greg Barnicle, owner of Barnicle’s Express gas station in Vista, said he was stunned to see the man, a regular customer, reappear Tuesday, looking for his car.

Barnicle said he asked Siddons what led to Monday’s incident and Siddons said, “I had a bad day.”

Barnicle said he then called authorities to let them know that Siddons, who he thought would be behind bars, was out walking around.

On Wednesday morning, deputies and arson investigator Paul Bledsoe staked out Siddon’s home in Vista and arrested him without incident.

He was held in County Jail in Vista, in lieu of $500,000 bail, on two counts of arson and one of terrorism, the Sheriff’s Department said.

A spokesman for county mental health services, which operates the psychiatric hospital, said he was prohibited by state confidentiality laws from discussing any particular patient but that, in general, deputies shouldn’t consider the facility a holding tank as they prepare arresting papers.

“If it’s a felony situation, they can take the person right to jail,” said Pat Stalnaker, spokesman for the hospital. “We have a 24-bed in-patient unit at the jail. There shouldn’t be a question about where to take people who are arrested for felonies and need psychiatric observation.

“We’re not a jail,” Stalnaker said. “If a police officer arrests someone who has a broken leg and takes him to the emergency room at UCSD (UC San Diego Medical Center), does he just drop him off and leave him? We’re no different. We don’t take care of felony suspects. We only take care of mental disorders.”

Siddons originally was taken to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, then to the psychiatric hospital in San Diego, because he was acting violently and irrationally and was believed to be in need of medical attention, said Bell, the deputy district attorney.

“We got the arrest warrant done within 24 hours, but, by then, he already had been released,” Bell said.

“He wasn’t arrested at the beginning of all of this,” said sheriff’s Deputy Pearl Janulewicz, “so we took him to (the psychiatric hospital), not the jail.”

Siddons is expected to be arraigned today in Vista Municipal Court.