Man Accused Of Arson In Napa Porta-Potty, Brush Fires

NAPA, CA — A Napa man is accused of setting two fires early Wednesday morning in downtown Napa and detectives believe he may also be responsible for setting a number of recent fires on the Vine Trail near Jackson Street, a lieutenant with the Napa Police Department said in a news release.

The first fire Jeffrey Johnson, 27, is accused of setting Wednesday involved a porta-potty at Oxbow Commons Park, 1268 McKinstry St., Napa police Lt. Gary Pitkin said. Napa Fire Department responded at about 3 a.m. and found the plastic, portable restroom ablaze.

"The fire destroyed the outhouse and caused heat damage to the surrounding concrete," Pitkin said.

While first responders were dealing with that fire, a second fire was spotted burning in brush north of the First Street Bridge, behind the Napa Valley Opera House.

Napa firefighters quickly doused the two fires, both of which appeared to be arson, Pitkin said, prompting detectives and firefighters to launch a joint investigation.

According to Pitkin, detectives identified a suspect by reviewing footage through the Napa Community Awareness Management System — NapaCAMS — a public-private partnership in which businesses grant the Napa Police Department access to video footage of public areas, the intent being to improve public safety downtown.

Video showed the same male in the area of both fires, near the times they were set, and provided investigators with detailed physical and clothing descriptions, according to the Pitkin.

Throughout the morning, Napa police and fire personnel continued to check the affected areas. At about 10:30 a.m. near First and Main streets, detectives spotted Johnson.

"Johnson matched the description of the man seen in the videos near both fires," Pitkin said.

Detectives interviewed Johnson, then took him to Napa County jail where he was booked on suspicion of two counts of felony arson in the early-morning fires, and on suspicion of possession of dangerous fireworks.

Johnson's bail was set at $50,000, according to police.

"Through evidence collected and statements made, detectives were able to tie Johnson to a number of recent fires NPD and NFD have investigated on the Vine Trail near Jackson Street," Pitkin said.

The Napa police and fire departments are both still investigating the matter; anyone with information about the fires is asked to contact Detective Garrett Smith at 707-257-9375 or GSmith@cityofnapa.org.