A 46-year-old man accused of igniting 10 fires near Diamond Valley Lake south of Hemet, is slated to be arraigned Friday, Dec. 27 on arson charges.
Noel Lopez Mejia was arrested last week following a months-long investigation by Cal Fire.
Mejia is charged with 10 counts of arson and one count of grand theft.
He made his initial court appearance Monday, Dec. 23. A public defender was appointed by Riverside County Superior Court Judge O.G. Magno and bail was set at $610,000.
The defendant, who is being held at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, will appear before Magno again Friday morning, Dec. 27, for arraignment at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire, Mejia allegedly lit blazes between Sept. 29 and Nov. 26, resulting in a total of 40 acres burned.
“Officers allege that Mejia entered the foothills along the north side of Diamond Valley Lake, from the back side of a residential property, and hiked the roads and hills where he set the 10 wildland fires,” according to a Cal Fire statement. “These fires burned within the Southwestern Riverside Multi-Species Reserve and endangered those protected, sensitive species.”
Fire crews were able to contain the blazes within a few hours. No one was injured, and no homes or other structures were damaged.
A possible motive for the alleged acts of arson was not disclosed.
Court records did not specify the origin of the theft charge. Mejia has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
