Arrest Made In East Whitlock Fire Arson Case

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Mariposa, CA– A breakthrough in the investigation of the East Whitlock fires has led to the arrest of 61-year-old Michael Eric Alexander, a local resident, by CAL FIRE Law Enforcement Officers on Wednesday, July 26. The arrest comes after a comprehensive investigation that linked Alexander to the ignition of five vegetation fires between Paddy Hill Road and Corey Pines Road off of East Whitlock Road on May 31. The fires, which occurred in the Midpines area of Mariposa County, were fortunately contained to less than an acre each.

The arrest was made on felony charges of suspicion of arson to forest land and was a result of the collaborative efforts between CAL FIRE Law Enforcement, the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, and the United States Forest Service (USFS) Law Enforcement officers.

Sheriff Jeremy Briese expressed his pride in the work carried out by the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office “I have said it before and I will continue to say it, my office and I will ALWAYS take a hard stance on criminals, especially those who commit crimes against others. Whenever we suspect arson, I personally ensure that we use every resource available to us to put them behind bars. Mariposa County has suffered enough by the hands of arsonists. I am proud of the work done by the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office on this particular arson case. My hope is that with each of these kinds of arrests, our communities can rest a little better at night.” 

For anyone with information related to arson fires, CAL FIRE offers the Arson Hotline at (800) 468-4408. Callers can choose to remain anonymous.