The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Monday afternoon it is not ready to file charges against four suspects arrested on suspicion of starting the Main Fire in Newhall.
John Wright and Jesus Figueroa of Canyon Country and Christian Leija and Antoinette Ruiz of El Monte were named in a Sheriff’s Department news release Thursday evening as four suspects arrested on suspicion of criminal conspiracy and arson.
“The potential case has been returned for further investigation,” according to Pamela Johnson, spokeswoman for the DA’s office, in an email Monday afternoon.
No additional information was available. The office has previously identified its charge worksheets, which identify the reason why a case has been charged or declined, as privileged work product. It was not made immediately available Monday.
An L.A. County Sheriff’s Department source familiar with the investigation indicated their work continues and the team remains confident in its initial assessment of the allegations.
Custody records still indicate Wright was in custody Monday, being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.
His voicemail inbox was full and could not receive a message Monday afternoon.
He and three others suspected to be accomplices were identified by the Sheriff’s Department as the individuals responsible for the Aug. 24 three-alarm structure fire, which tore through a half-dozen locations and reportedly caused about $13 million in damage.
The LASD Arson and Explosive Detail, which is investigating the case, has reported that Gary’s Auto Collision Center was where the fire began.
Court records indicated Wright was several months behind on rent and had faced a court order to answer to his landlord less than a week before the fire took place.
In a previous interview with The Signal, Wright denied any involvement in the fire and disputed the amount of back rent claimed.
Custody arrest records indicated that Wright and Figueroa were arrested by a surveillance team within the Major Crimes Bureau; Figueroa was arrested at the San Dimas Station. Leija and Ruiz were arrested by SCV Sheriff’s Station deputies.
Court records indicate Leija and Ruiz have been in a relationship, based on a previous court record of a hearing on a restraining order that was requested between the couple and then later dropped over a declination to prosecute.
