FRESNO (KMJ) — A man has been arrested for allegedly starting the fire at Fresno’s ‘Livingstone’s Restaurant & Pub’.
The blaze on December 20th 2016 forced the temporary closure of the site, with a repair bill of around $400,000 (a figure which does include loss of business). The suspect, arrested Thursday morning, has been identified as Justin Joseph Silva.
“He had been on a pursuit for a little bit,” revealed Fresno Fire’s Chief of Investigations Don MacAlpine.
“We were able to secure a warrant with both the Assistant District Attorney and a judge agreeing with all of our case work, and today with the cooperation of Fresno Police Department and Sergeant Reyes’ team, we were able to take the suspect into custody without incident.”
The 32 year old is facing both felony arson and burglary charges.
“As we began to develop the case, and saw how senseless and needless the whole crime was, it again heightened my hope that we would have a successful conclusion,” adds MacAlpine.
The site itself has remained closed since the fire, and the City of Fresno has previously announced that officials will do whatever they can to help the restaurant re-open.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
