A Turlock man was sentenced to 13 years in prison after he was convicted of arson and domestic violence, the District Attorney’s Office announced.
Santiago Ojeda Astorga, 33 of Turlock, was sentenced on Friday for the crimes that happened Sept. 4, 2023.
On that date, neighbors at an apartment complex contacted police stating they heard a man assaulting a woman in one of the units. Turlock Police officers conducted a security check at the unit identified by neighbors and located the victim. She had sustained injuries resulting from the assault by Astorga, according to the district attorney’s office. The children were present during the domestic violence but were physically unharmed.
Astorga, who was the father of the victim’s two children, fled the area after the assault.
Later that day, Astorga went looking for the victim at her relative’s home in a nearby apartment complex in the 1100 block of Colorado Avenue. When Astorga could not locate the victim, he threatened to burn down the relative’s apartment.
Around 10 p.m. Astorga used an accelerant and started a vehicle fire in the carport area of the complex. The initial call reported one vehicle on fire under a carport and was upgraded to a potential structure fire as the first engine from the Turlock Fire Department was dispatched to the call.
Very quickly the call was upgraded to a working structure fire as the flames raged from one vehicle to another and raced over the carport to the roofline of the single-story duplex and into the attic.
The Turlock Fire Department had every engine, Squad 32 and a battalion chief responding to the scene, as well as requesting four engines, one truck, one quint and additional battalion chiefs from other agencies.
The flames and smoke could be seen from a distance and several explosions rattled neighbors, some of whom decided to leave the immediate area. The explosions came from tires exploding, Turlock Fire Capt. Jason Bernard said.
There were no injuries reported from the fire. The blaze did displace six people from their apartments and burned eight cars, a carport and a duplex.
The Turlock Police Department closed down Colorado Avenue between Hawkeye Avenue and Main Street and Escondido Avenue during the incident. The officers setting up the traffic control were approached by some of the residents from the duplex who said they believed the fire started under their vehicle and that it was an intentional act.
The residents told the officers that Astruga was the ex-boyfriend of a relative and had come to the duplex looking for his ex-girlfriend. Not finding her, he said he was leaving and it was in the immediate aftermath that the fire started, according to the police report.
Officers went to Astruga’s last known residence and found him there. He attempted to flee but was quickly apprehended. He was booked into Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of domestic violence and 11 arson-related charges.
Doorbell cameras helped investigators determine it was an arson fire.
The Stanislaus County Fire Investigative Unit investigated the arson. Deputy District Attorney Vita Palazuelos prosecuted this case on behalf of the People.
