Albion man jailed, suspected of arson, assault and child endangerment

An Albion man remained in jail Wednesday, suspected of arson, assaulting a relative and child endangerment, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies arrested Abel Sommer, 37, following Friday’s reported fire and assault at family property on Albion Ridge Road. The suspect lived at the property with family members, including his children, 4, and 14.

Deputies responded about 3:45 p.m. found a garage engulfed in flames and a badly injured 73-year-old man in an adjacent home.

Deputies suspect Sommer hit the man with a blunt object, tried to burn a vehicle and set the garage fire while in the company of his children, Mendocino County sheriff’s Lt. Greg Stefani said Wednesday. Sommer was arrested at the property on suspicion of six felony crimes including assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury, child endangerment, elder abuse and arson.

Mendocino and Albion volunteer firefighters put out the fire.

The injured man was flown by medical helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment of a major head injury.

Sommer, who wasn’t injured, was taken to Mendocino Coast District Hospital in Fort Bragg as a precaution, and while there escaped his bed restraints in a failed attempt to flee. Deputies added a suspected felony escape to his arrest.

He was booked into the Mendocino County Jail with bail set at $105,000.

-Randi Rossmann