On 12-11-2018 at about 7:39 pm, Eureka Police Department (EPD) and Humboldt Bay Fire Department (HBFD) personnel responded to a dumpster fire on 3rd St, just east of Commercial St. As fire personnel extinguished the fire, patrol officers began scouring the area for possible suspect(s). Detectives were also notified of the incident.
As part of the investigation, businesses in the area were contacted and surveillance footage was reviewed. A possible suspect was quickly developed. He was described as wearing tan pants, a blue hooded jacket, black baseball cap and light colored shoes.
At about 11:37 pm, a subject matching the suspect’s description was located on 4th St at N St. The subject was identified as Paul Allen Aguilar (36 years old). A records check of Aguilar revealed that he was on active probation. Aguilar was also found to be in possession of drug paraphilia. He was taken into custody and transported to the Eureka Police Department to be interviewed and for evidential processing.
As a result of the investigation, enough probable cause was developed to place Aguilar under arrest for the fire at 3rd and Commercial Streets.
Aguilar was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HCCF) and booked on charges of arson, possession of paraphernalia, and probation violation. Aguilar is being held on $55,000 bail.
Due to the similar nature and method of this fire to the string of recent dumpster fires, EPD Detectives will be working in collaboration with HBFD personnel to determine if Aguilar is also connected to those fires.
If the arson fires stop, then he was the cause for sure. Let's see what prevails.
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