A Yosemite Lakes Park couple was booked into Madera County jail late Tuesday night on charges of arson after a half-acre vegetation fire that started on their cul-de-sac, East Revis Circle in YLP.
Tuesday night’s arrests come after a month of sleepless nights for many YLP residents – especially those living off of Revis Road – who have been hit with a majority of more than 20 vegetation fires in the park since May. The fires included a string of eight in three days, along with a 91-acre blaze May 19 that destroyed a home on Lilley Mountain Drive.
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Allison Waterman, 47, and Kenneth Jackson, 40, were booked on charges of arson. Jackson is being charged with 31 counts of arson, resisting arrest, and attempted battery on a peace officer. Waterman was booked on a single charge of arson.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Christopherson said the couple arrested were booked in relation to the series of fires in the YLP area. The area fires have burned about 100 acres over the last six weeks, he said.
“The Yosemite Lakes Park community has been threatened by countless wildfires over the last several months that we believe were a result of arson,” said Nancy Koerperich, Cal Fire unit chief for Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit. “We appreciate the community’s support and assistance as we worked to track down these suspects.”
Jackson owns Ken Jackson Transport, a heavy equipment trucking/hauling business. Those that know him say he previously worked in construction in the Valley. In Madera County, the only previous offense jail officials said he was charged with was a DUI in 2000.
Waterman has worked as a teacher at a preschool in the Valley and at a church. Madera County Department of Corrections said she had no previous criminal record in the county and that she bailed out of jail, set at $25,000, around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Reportedly, the couple also filed for bankrupcy in 2010. They were married in October of 2002.
While Christopherson said details regarding the fire investigations are currently unavailable, according to a source who wished to remain anonymous, Cal Fire investigators have been hiding in camouflage on Revis Mountain in YLP 24 hours a day for a couple weeks looking to catch the person, or persons, they suspected were lighting the fires.
Every 10 hours, fire investigators would swap out with a new group, and during one of the early swaps, someone saw the camouflaged investigators come out of the bushes and jump into the back of a white jeep, reporting them as possible suspects.
At that point, investigators reportedly stopped using the jeep and started parking a different vehicle a couple miles away and hiking to the mountain.
After the white jeep story surfaced, the suspect arsonist then reportedly used it in an attempt to throw off investigators looking into Sunday’s nine-acre fire off of River Road (400).
However, according to the anonymous source, the attempt to throw off investigators was actually what tipped them off to their suspect – because officials knew they did not have investigators hiding near Road 400.
Cal Fire said numerous agencies assisted in the investigation and arrest, including the Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Madera County District Attorney’s Office and Yosemite Lakes Park security staff. Fire officials said Cal Fire law enforcement officers work diligently in arson cases to aggressively investigate and prosecute those suspected of intentionally starting fires.
“As fire danger remains extreme across California, arson is a major threat to both life and property,” stated Cal Fire in a prepared statement. “Residents should be vigilant in their preparedness and aware of suspicious persons when a fire does start.
“If you witness someone suspicious make note of the time, his or her physical description, as well as any vehicle description, including the license plate number. Always contact law enforcement, never approach a suspicious person. Anyone with information about arson is urged to contact the Cal Fire Arson Hotline at 1-800-468-4408. Callers can remain anonymous.”
