Valley Springs Man Allegedly Burned Down Neighbor's House

Valley Springs, Ca -- A Valley Springs man faces charges of arson and extortion for his alleged role in a residential fire late last week.

Just after midnight on January 25, Calaveras County Sheriff's Department investigators were summoned to 3328 Lazer Court in the Valley Springs area.

The Sheriff's Department says that a neighbor, David Allen Thomas, later told the homeowner that he burned down the house as a favor to get the victim out of a financial situation. Thomas has also allegedly attempted to extort money from the victim in return for burning the house and relieving the homeowner of the financial obligation.

Sheriff's Detectives say that they have conducted surveillance and collected evidence related to the crimes. Thomas has been arrested and charged with arson and attempted extortion. He is being held on $90,000 bail in Calaveras County Jail.

Written by bjhansen@mlode.com

Other News

• Dogs Not Allowed In Pinecrest Day Use Area 
• Power Restored To Junction
• Power Outage At Junction Shopping Center
• Parrotts Ferry Fire Quickly Contained
• Report Of Trailer Fire On Parrotts Ferry
• Calaveras County To Pay Moreno Party $89,300 In Settlement 
• Escaped Sierra Conservation Inmate Captured 
• French Fire Fully Contained At Midnight 
• French Fire Is 60% Contained: Structures No Longer At-Risk 
• Fire Crews Working To Protect Historic Structures 

Click here to search the local News Stories

Get the news delivered to your mailbox. See all the day's local news at once without having to click through the site. Find out more by clicking [here].