Man accused of setting California fires already faced arson charge near Kansas City
The man accused of setting more than a dozen fires along a California roadside already faces a felony arson charge for igniting a hay truck on fire near his home outside Kansas City.
Freddie Graham, 68, of Lone Jack, was scheduled to appear in Jackson County court on Sept. 25, but instead was being detained in California on the new criminal charges.
Jackson County prosecutors allege that in August 2018, Graham was angry at a company for not hiring him and used a lighter to set its hay truck on fire.
Earlier this year, Graham entered a diversion program, which provides treatment and other services for lower-level offenders, said Mike Mansur, a spokesman for Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. Because of the new California charges, he will be terminated from the program, Mansur said.
California authorities allege that on the weekend of Sept. 20, Graham used a lighter to set fire to small pieces of paper from a fast food restaurant and threw them out the window of his rental car. Graham allegedly set 13 fires over two days along the Calaveras Road in the eastern foothills of California’s Santa Clara County.
No structural damage or injuries were reported. But dozens of firefighters using aircraft, bulldozers and other equipment spent hours putting out the fires.
Graham was arrested on Sept. 23 as he was returning his rental vehicle at the San Jose International Airport prior to flying back home, according to court documents.
Graham was charged in Santa Clara County Superior Court with 15 counts of arson, including two counts of arson during a state of emergency. California Gov. Gavin Newson in March declared the emergency ahead of the wildfire season.
Graham was being held in the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas, California, on $2 million bail.
A local attorney for Graham and a family member declined to comment this week.
Graham was in Milpitas, near San Jose, for his 50th high school reunion, which he attended after allegedly setting the fires, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Rich Santoro, a former classmate, said Graham appeared happy at the party on Sept. 21 and didn’t seem troubled.
“He was excited to come. I talked to him five or six times during the night. He was happy he was there. He told me, ‘I didn’t expect to have this much fun,’” Santoro said. “It turns out he (allegedly) had already set the fires.”
But Graham allegedly told fire investigators a different story.
“Graham told us his late wife and him planned to drive the road but because she passed away and could not be with him it made him emotional, starting the fires,” according to court documents.
His wife, Cheryl Graham, died in January 2018.
That August, Graham was charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with knowingly burning or exploding when he used a lighter to ignite a hay truck parked alongside a road in Oak Grove.
Prosecutors said when police arrived, the back quarter of the hay trailer that was attached to a semitractor-trailer was on fire. Surveillance video from the Lone Jack Public Works parking lot showed a black SUV drive up near the rear of the trailer.
The video showed an arm extending out of the driver’s side window and setting the hay on fire, according to court documents.
The SUV remained in the area as the driver allegedly watched fire crews put out the blaze. Authorities found a similar vehicle at Graham’s house in Lone Jack, in southeastern Jackson County. Police later took Graham into custody for questioning about the fire.
Graham allegedly said he was finishing lunch at the Lone Jack Cafe when the fire started. He drove to the area and watched the fire from behind a semi. Police showed Graham a photo of the SUV from the surveillance video and asked if that was him inside the vehicle.
Graham allegedly replied, “Yes.”
Police then told Graham that the surveillance video showed the SUV drive up to the rear passenger side of the trailer, pause, and then drive away as smoke and fire began show, according to court documents.
Graham allegedly stated, “OK.” He then asked to see the video but was denied, prosecutors allege.
When police asked him why he set the hay on fire, Graham allegedly said he was mad at the company because it hadn’t hired him, claiming he was overqualified and because of concerns over his age, court records stated.
Graham allegedly said he used a lighter to set the hay on fire. Prosecutors later charged Graham with setting the fire.
When asked to write down what he had done, Graham allegedly wrote, “I guess I done it,” according to court records.
Graham had a plea hearing scheduled for Monday in California, but it was continued until Nov. 15.
