Crime & Safety

Man Guilty of April IB Arson Sentenced to 1 Year in Jail

Manuel D. Oceguera appeared in a Chula Vista courtroom Thursday. He also received probation.

Original story posted at 9:20 a.m. June 20.

A man who intentionally set a car on fire in Imperial Beach was sentenced at the South Bay Courthouse Thursday.

Manuel David Oceguera, 25, pleaded guilty on May 22 to a felony arson charge and two misdemeanor counts of violating a restraining order. He will be sentenced to a year in jail, according to Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Matzger.

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South Bay Judge Stephanie Sontag also placed Oceguera on three years
probation, ordering him to take anger management classes if directed, stay away from the male victim and register as an arson offender.

Members of the Bomb/Arson Unit determined the fire, shortly before 5 a.m. April 21, was intentionally set, possibly using a Molotov cocktail, sheriff's Detective John Debus said.

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The incident was isolated and not related to other recent fires in the area, he said.

Oceguera was arrested and booked into San Diego Central Jail on May 2. Authorities withheld what led them to identify him as a suspect. The motive was also unclear.

– City News Service


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