Man Suspected of Arson Booked at Indio Jail

Transient suspected of arson on Dinah Shore Drive

CATHEDRAL CITY — Jose Hernandez, a 48-year-old transient, was booked at the Riverside County Jail in Indio on Friday on 10 counts of arson in relating to fires in the 68400 block of Dinah Shore Drive.

On Friday, July 15 about 11:58 a.m., Cathedral City 911 operators received several calls regarding a brush fire on Dinah Shore west of Cathedral Canyon. Several callers and witnesses reported that they were following a male subject who started three separate fires along Dinah Shore Drive.

The witnesses reported seeing the subject enter the wash area under the Dinah Shore Bridge, according to a Police Department news release.

As Cathedral City Fire Department responded to the brush fires, Cathedral City Police Officers responded to the area to search for the arson suspect. Once in the wash area, the suspect reportedly started seven additional brush fires, according to the release.

Cathedral City Police Officers were able apprehend the suspect near the west end of the Dinah Shore Bridge. Three separate witnesses identified the suspect as the person setting the fires. None of the fires threatened any structures or personal property and were extinguished by the Cathedral City Fire Department.