Fire and arrest occurred on Oct. 29
On Thursday, Oct. 29 just before 9 a.m., Sonoma County Sheriff’s deputies, CalFire, the Monte Rio Fire District and the Sonoma County Fire District responded to a 911 call for a possible arson at River Road near Canyon 2 Road in Rio Nido. According to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), Todd Bowman, 28, was later identified as the suspect of the arson.
According to a social media report from SCSO, a driver called 911 to report a possible arson, and gave a description and possible location of Bowman.
“The fire started under a bridge at a former homeless encampment. Earlier this week, deputies made everyone in the encampment leave, including Bowman, because the camp was within the high water mark of a waterway, which is a misdemeanor,” said the announcement from the Sheriff’s Office. “Deputies contacted Bowman several hundred yards away from the fire, covered in soot, and detained him. After speaking with Bowman, deputies determined he started the fire.”
Bowman was arrested for felony arson and a misdemeanor charge of putting pollutants near a waterway. As of the Oct. 29 report, Bowman was still in custody and was being held on $10,000 bail.
“We’ve been hearing a lot of concerns from west county residents about some homeless individuals starting fires during fire season. We will continue to do everything we can to keep our community safe. We appreciate the astute community member calling 911 and continuing to provide good information to help us find the suspect, and the firefighters responding quickly to put out the fire,” said the SCSO announcement.
