TURLOCK, Calif. — An arson suspect is behind bars after Turlock police accused him of throwing an "incendiary device" at a home while a family of six slept inside.
Deandra Wiley, Turlock Police Department spokesperson, said more information about the type of incendiary device, which is used to start fires, was not being disclosed at this time.
The suspect was identified as J.D. Dwaine Lucas, 37, of Turlock. He's facing eight felony charges that include two counts of arson on an inhabited dwelling and six counts of willful harm or injury to a child. Police said there were three children among the six family members inside the home at the time of the incident.
In a news release posted to Facebook, police said the charges date back to two arson incidents at the same home.
On June 2, police responded to the 500 block of Sunnyside Drive for an arson around 8:15 a.m. According to police, a neighbor was able to notice the fire and wake up the family sleeping inside. All six family members, three adults and three children, got out safe.
Police said the cause of the arson was an incendiary device thrown at the home. As the investigation continued, police learned that another fire caused by an incendiary device happened at the home back in May but went unreported at the time.
On June 21, police said their investigation led them Lucas as a suspect. He was found and booked into Stanislaus County Jail.
Anyone with more information on the case can call Detective Gina Giovacchini at (209) 668-6539.
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