Patrol Car Arson Arrest

Sonora, CA — The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man that they believe set fire to several patrol vehicles last December.

The vehicles were parked outside the Sheriff’s Office Administration building and doused with a flammable liquid. An investigation into the crime was carried out by the Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and FBI. Evidence from the crime scene was processed and submitted to a Department of Justice Lab for analysis.

“DOJ notified the Sheriff’s Office that the evidence contained a DNA profile,” says Sgt. Jeff Wilson of the Sheriff’s Office. “The DNA was run through the Combined DNA Index System. A ‘hit’ returned to Samuel Henry Shockley, 32 of Sonora, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.”

Yesterday TCSO Detectives located Shockley at a home in the Manteca area, and took him into custody. He was booked into Tuolumne County Jail for a charge of arson.

The motive is still under investigation, but Sgt. Wilson notes that an immediate family member of Shockley was arrested by the Sheriff’s Office shortly before the arson incident, which could have been a factor.