TURLOCK, Calif. — The Stanislaus County District Attorney says a Turlock man will spend the next 13 years behind bars after being convicted of arson and domestic violence.
Officials say 33-year-old Santiago Ojeda Astorga assaulted his girlfriend while their two kids were around back in September 2023. He is said to have left following the assault but later tried to find his girlfriend. He went to her relative’s home in a nearby apartment complex and "when Astorga could not locate the victim, he threatened to burn down the relative’s apartment."
In a press release, the Stanislaus County District Attorney says Astorga then used an accelerant and started a vehicle fire in the carport area of the complex. The fire ultimately spread to multiple cars and damaged two apartment units before being extinguished by the Turlock Fire Department.
The Stanislaus County Fire Investigative Unit investigated the arson. The Turlock Police Department investigated the domestic violence incident and arrested Astorga within a few hours of starting the fire.
