Alleged Arsonist Facing 60 Years in Prison

INDIO, CA- A man accused of setting 25 structures and vehicles ablaze throughout the Coachella Valley pleaded not guilty Tuesday to multiple arson counts.

Luis Josue Perales, 22, is charged with setting fire to three occupied buildings, two unoccupied buildings, six vehicles and 14 other miscellaneous pieces of property, including palm trees and dumpsters.

The fires were allegedly set between Jan. 15, 2015, and the end of last month. Nineteen of the fires occurred in the city of Indio and nearby areas and six of the fires happened in Palm Springs.

Perales also faces sentence-enhancing allegations of causing fires that burned multiple structures, using a device to accelerate the spread of the fires, and committing arson in areas where the state's emergency drought regulations are under effect.

If convicted on all counts, he faces the possibility of more than 60 years in prison.

County fire investigators, with assistance from the Palm Springs police and fire departments, arrested Perales on the morning of March 31 on South Palm Canyon Drive, according to Jody Hagemann of the Riverside County Fire Department.

Perales, who is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning in lieu of $1 million bail, is due back in court on April 13 for a felony settlement conference.

– By City News Service.  Image via Shutterstock.