Suspected Arson Fire Damages Stockton-Area Motel, Suspect Jailed

SAN DIEGO, CA — A predawn alleged arson fire damaged a Stockton-area motel Tuesday and left a suspect behind bars, authorities reported.

The non-injury blaze at the Lodge at 32nd, 740 32nd St., erupted at about 12:30 a.m., according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

It took crews roughly 10 minutes to subdue the fire, which caused an estimated $35,000 worth of damage, said Sgt. Rick Pechin of the multi-agency San Diego Metro Arson Strike Team.

Police questioned and arrested 51-year-old Tony Laneil Lucas, who had been staying with a woman at the two-story motel, Pechin said.

Lucas, who allegedly sparked the fire by intentionally igniting objects inside his rented room, was taken to a psychiatric hospital for an evaluation before being booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of arson of an inhabited structure.

He was being held on $150,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

— City News Service