WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Police on April 16 arrested a homeless man for allegedly setting two fires.
Elio Ortega, 41, was charged with arson. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, jail records showed.
Ortega was arrested after officers responded to a report of a man lighting a fire near a building on the 200 block of East Lake Ave. That fire caused no damage.
On April 10, Ortega was caught on camera setting a motorhome on fire in the area of Beach Street and Rodriguez Street, police said. Watsonville firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.
Detectives assigned to that case identified Ortega and were looking for him before his April 16 arrest.
