Laguna Fire Confessor Guilty of Fullerton Arsons

In a surprise end to a bizarre case, a man who once confessed to setting the 1993 Laguna Beach fire was sentenced to eight years in prison after unexpectedly pleading guilty to setting three small fires in Fullerton.

Jaime Saille Higuera, also known as Jose Soto Martinez, was in the middle a preliminary hearing Thursday to determine if he should stand trial on arson charges when he decided during the lunch break to plead guilty. Municipal Court Judge James O. Perez immediately sentenced the 26-year-old man to eight years.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Fell said he pushed for a maximum prison term of more than 19 years, but is satisfied that the judge’s sentence sends the message that “arsonists will not be tolerated in our society.”

Higuera, carrying a disposable lighter and a hunting knife, was nabbed by witnesses in September after authorities say he set three small fires in one day. One ignited a six-foot wooden fence that separates the Hillcrest Glen Apartments from the offices of the North Orange County Community College District. Another was set in the laundry room trash bin of the 42-unit apartment complex, while a third was started in bushes near the fence.

During questioning after the arrest, Higuera, who identified himself as Jose Soto Martinez, told investigators he was also responsible for other “big fires,” including the October, 1993, firestorm that destroyed or damaged more than 400 homes and structures in Laguna Beach and the surrounding area. He also led investigators to the fire’s point of origin off Laguna Canyon Road and appeared to tell them exactly how it started.

But days after charging Higuera with the Laguna Beach arson, the district attorney’s office withdrew the charge after learning his confession was bogus and that he had been in a Mexican jail during the fire.

Investigators said the defendant has since told them he guessed about the fire’s location and how it started.

Meanwhile, prosecution continued in the Fullerton blazes. Fell had already put two witnesses on the stand Thursday, including one who helped capture Higuera, when the defendant made his surprise plea following the lunch recess. No one was injured in the Fullerton fires, which caused less than $1,000 in damage.

Higuera’s lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Frank Ospino, could not be reached for comment Friday.