Missouri man charged with flying to California and setting Milpitas grass fires

[RandySF]

SAN JOSE — A man from the Kansas City area flew to the Bay Area, drove a rental car toward the Calaveras Reservoir east of Milpitas, and threw flaming pieces of paper along the grassy foothills, igniting more than a dozen fires in a 24-hour span this past weekend, authorities say.

Freddie Graham, 68, of Lone Jack, Missouri, was arrested and charged with 15 arson-related felonies on allegations he set multiple fires in the foothills east of Milpitas on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21, 2019. (Santa Clara Co. Sheriff’s Office)

Those allegations fuel the 15 arson-related charges filed against 68-year-old Freddie Owen Graham of Lone Jack, Missouri. Graham was arraigned in a San Jose courtroom Wednesday and sent back to the Elmwood men’s jail in Milpitas, where he was being held on $500,000 bail.

According to Santa Clara County prosecutors, Graham set four fires Friday and nine more Saturday, and was on the verge of getting out of town undetected when he was arrested by Cal Fire officials Monday while returning his rental car at Mineta San Jose International Airport.

What Graham didn’t know was that a witness spotted his car, and gave a license plate number to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — better known as Cal Fire — whose local units had been fighting, then investigating, what has been dubbed the Reservoir Fire.



https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/09/25/missouri-man-charged-with-flying-to-bay-area-and-setting-milpitas-grass-fires/

[kwolf68]

1. WTF

What a boob.

[lunasun]

2. MAybe the MO dude hates Cali liberals . Sicko

[GReedDiamond]

4. Trump Humper who hates him some Cal-a-forny libtards?

...that's my prediction.

Dumbass goatfucker.

[RandySF]

6. Dunno

All I found was his late wife’s obituary from last year.

[GReedDiamond]

7. I also predict his defense will be...

..."Preznit Trump made me do it!"

Along with a daily diet of Rush Limbo and Fux Nooz which warped his feeble brain.

What other motivation would this idiot have to fly all the way out to the "Left Coast" to commit mass arson?

I know, I know, he's innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

[tblue37]

5. He's 68. Was it worth the likelihood of spending the rest of his life in a

California prison, I wonder?

Graham faces up to 22 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

[Mariana]

8. He didn't think he was gonna get caught.

Oopsie.

[GulfCoast66]

9. Guess they made him take off the MAGA hat for the mug shot.

I guess he spends the rest of his life in jail.

And I know it is not popular here, but he’ll I’m a liberal. I do feel sorry for the guy.

We can all see it now, isolated in small-town America, having nothing but right wing media to listen to. And nothing else to hold onto.

So he acted out.

If a previous post is to be believed he just lost his wife.

So sad.

That said, he should get the time in prison he deserves. Because God knows we have no other method in this country to treat people like this. If we did he would have never done this act in the first place.

[RandySF]

10. Here's the obit.

Cheryl Lynn (Payne) Graham, 55, of Lone Jack, Mo passed away January 8, 2018. She was born August 12, 1962 to James and Barbara (Ussery) Payne in Shreveport, LA.

Cheryl was a payroll accountant at John Knox Village. She was preceded in death by a granddaughter, Gracie Lynn. Survivors include her husband, Fred Graham, daughters, Stephanie Goodman, Melissa Eaker, Kimberly Noble, parents, Don and Barbara (Ussery) Payne, sisters, Anne Janson, Terri Karius, Kerri Von Gunten, Susan Brewster, and 9 grandchildren.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:00 am, Saturday, January 20, 2018 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 1874 MO-5 Hiway, Camdenton, MO. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service with lunch following the service in the church basement. Memories of Cheryl and condolences for the family may be shared at meyersfuneralchapel.com.

Arrangements entrusted to Meyers Funeral Chapel, 1600 W. Main St., Blue Springs, MO.



http://meyersfuneralchapel.com/2018/01/08/cheryl-graham/

[GulfCoast66]

11. Holy cow! Shreveport! That's my family's neck of the woods!

Don’t get me wrong. He’s earned what’s coming to him.

But I’m unapologetic liberal. I feel sorry for the dude.

For all we know he was a good husband and father. Could have been a piece if shit his whole life as well. We don’t know.

But we could have a society where everyone is taken care of. Especially in a small town where everybody knows everybody. And we used to. And actually often still do.

But when people read nothing but hate on the internet flavored by a soupçon of hate radio and fox TV, they become unreachable. I’ve seen it personally in my family.

[glenn54509]

19. Maybe

He seems though to have a history of anger issues and arson. He actually was scheduled to appear in court yesterday for setting fire to a corporate hay hauler who he was upset with because they did not hire him. And sounds like he is known to the locals.

Doesn't excuse him or his likely hate for CA and liberals. But he is likely not very rational regardless.

[gopiscrap]

21. welcome to DU

[uncle ray]

12. i assume a GPS log from the rental car helps seal the deal.

[shanti]

22. A passerby saw him

and got his plate number. LEO caught him at the airport before he left.

[uncle ray]

23. yes, i read that. i was adding my speculation.

[rockfordfile]

13. what a un-American pos

[ellie]

14. What the hell is the matter with people?

Fuck him one thousand percent.

[stopwastingmymoney]

15. We in CA take fire very seriously

Good luck finding a jury that won’t recommend life in pridon

[Lulu KC]

16. Another charge--he was supposed to be in court on Wednesday

"knowingly burning or exploding"

https://www.courts.mo.gov/casenet/cases/charges.do

[Lulu KC]

17. Oh, wait--there's more

https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/lone-jack-man-arrested-on-calif-on-multiple-arson-charges

[xmas74]

18. I used to work with one of his daughters.

I recognized the name in the obit.
Lone Jack is just east of KC, barely part of a suburb though it's more rural than anything. I think the biggest thing in Lone Jack is the Civil War battleground and museum. It's also a speed trap; I slow down as soon as I near the city limits.

[ffr]

20. 'American right-wing terrorist follows Fox News dog whistle'

Expect more of the same, the impressionable who feel it is a call to duty against "the enemies of the United States."

Giuliani is even more vile that I could imagine. 'Enemies of 45 are enemies of the United States?'
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212506650