On
12-11-2018 at about 7:39 pm, Eureka Police Department (EPD) and
Humboldt Bay Fire Department (HBFD) personnel responded to a dumpster
fire on 3rd
St, just east of Commercial St. As fire personnel extinguished the
fire, patrol officers began scouring the area for possible
suspect(s). Detectives were also notified of the incident.
As
part of the investigation, businesses in the area were contacted and
surveillance footage was reviewed. A possible suspect was quickly
developed. He was described as wearing tan pants, a blue hooded
jacket, black baseball cap and light colored shoes.
At
about 11:37 pm, a subject matching the suspect’s description was
located on 4th
St at N St. The subject was identified as Paul Allen Aguilar (36
years old). A records check of Aguilar revealed that he was on active
probation. Aguilar was also found to be in possession of drug
paraphilia. He was taken into custody and transported to the Eureka
Police Department to be interviewed and for evidential processing.
As
a result of the investigation, enough probable cause was developed to
place Aguilar under arrest for the fire at 3rd
and Commercial Streets.
Aguilar
was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF)
and booked on charges of arson, possession of paraphernalia, and
probation violation. Aguilar is being held on $55,000 bail.
Due
to the similar nature and method of this fire to the string of recent
dumpster fires, EPD Detectives will be working in collaboration with
HBFD personnel to determine if Aguilar is also connected to those
fires.
Anyone
with information regarding the recent fires is urged to call the
Eureka Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Section at
707-441-4300.
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