3 men arrested in Kincade fire evacuation zones, authorities say

Three men have been arrested by Sonoma County deputies on suspicion of entering areas under mandatory evacuation because of the Kincade fire, Sonoma County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Juan Valencia said.

All three men are homeless and at least two reside in areas outside of the evacuation zone they were found in, Valencia said. Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick has repeatedly said during public briefings that looters and other people found entering areas under mandatory evacuation will not be tolerated.

Officers from more than 140 law enforcement agencies throughout Northern California were in Sonoma County to help patrol evacuated areas, Valencia said.

“We will continue to be vigilant for people who are entering evacuation zones against orders and we will continue to be very vigilant for people who are engaging in looting,” Essick said during Tuesday morning’s news conference.

The first arrest happened just before 9 a.m. Sunday, when deputies picked up Jesse Gandarilla, 32, of Santa Rosa, on Old Redwood Highway in Larkfield, Valencia said. Gandarilla was booked into the Sonoma County Main Jail on suspicion of entering an evacuation zone and violating his probation.

On Sunday night, deputies stopped Lonnie Frederick, 43, at Highway 116 north of Duncans Mills, an unincorporated town between Guerneville and the Sonoma County coast. He was arrested on suspicion of entering an evacuation zone, public intoxication and for an outstanding warrant, Valencia said.

Arrest reports did not indicate where Frederick was from, Valencia said.

The third man, Cloverdale resident Gary Villa, 38, was arrested near the Asti summer bridge Monday at about 4 p.m., Valencia said. He too was booked for misdemeanor entering of an evacuation area, Valencia said.

“The people who have been arrested, there’s no explanation for why they’re in those areas,” Valencia said.

Both Gandarilla and Frederick remained at the Sonoma County Main Jail as of Tuesday afternoon, while Villa did not, inmate logs showed. Santa Rosa officers had not arrested anyone suspected of looting or sneaking into the evacuation area as of Tuesday afternoon, the Police Chief Rainer Navarro said. Extra officers were sent to patrol evacuated areas within the city limits, as well as those without electricity because of PG&E’s power shut-off Tuesday, Navarro added.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.