Arsonist arrested in flagrante delicto by metro fire battalion chief

RANCHO CORDOVA- A 38-year-old man remained in custody Wednesday afternoon on $1 million bail after he was caught starting a fire by the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department in Rancho Cordova Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday around 8:25 a.m., units from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District were dispatched to a grass fire east of 1941 Zinfandel Drive along Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova. Firefighters arrived at an active fire measuring approximately 80 feet by 20 feet and quickly extinguished it without any problems, according to a report shared by Metro Fire.

Shortly after the call, a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department battalion chief was driving southbound on Sunrise Boulevard when he observed an adult male setting fire to vegetation located in the concrete island near the direction is on the ramp leading to Highway 50. Law enforcement officers responded to the scene. and apprehended the suspect, who was later identified as 38-year-old Levi Coon.

According to the Metro Fire report, Coon admitted to starting both fires with a lighter. He was taken into custody and booked into the Sacramento County Jail where he is charged with arson. Coon is being held on $1,000,000 bail, according to jail records.

Coon is scheduled to make his first appearance in Sacramento County Court at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 30. Arrest records show Coon has been arrested several times in the past in Tuolumne County, including for arson, drug possession and showing mortal danger. weapon from 2017 to 2020.