Oceanside man charged with arson in Carlsbad dealership fire

San Diego Union-Tribune (CA)

April 27-- Apr. 27--CARLSBAD -- A 29-year-old Oceanside man torched his own car and several others last month at a Carlsbad dealership in an attempt to have the dealership's insurance cover the damage, according to Bob Baker Auto Group's general manager.

Carlsbad police arrested the suspect, Charleston Octavius McGhee, last Saturday. He was charged this week with 10 felonies, including one count of arson, according to police and prosecutors.

He's accused of igniting the fire that engulfed eight vehicles a little before 10 p.m. March 26 at the Bob Baker Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM dealership on Car Country Drive.

McGhee also faces seven counts of insurance fraud and two counts of unlawfully taking vehicles from a different Carlsbad dealership, according to a criminal complaint. The slew of alleged crimes happened between early September and April 1.

"His charges stem from (the Bob Baker) arson case, as well as a separate insurance fraud investigation conducted by the California Department of Insurance Fraud Division," Carlsbad Police Department spokeswoman Jodee Reyes said in an email Thursday.

McGhee's defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

Carlsbad police launched their arson investigation soon after the blaze at the dealership, which authorities said destroyed eight privately owned vehicles that had been left by customers at the dealership's service lot.

The fire was reported by a cleaning crew that heard two explosions and then tried to extinguish the flames themselves before calling 911.

Firefighters found several vehicles fully involved when they arrived, Carlsbad Fire Department Division Chief Mike Lopez said the day after the blaze.

Surveillance footage released by the dealership this week showed the moment the fire was intentionally set. The tape shows one vehicle burst into flames, then a man moves to a second vehicle parked next to the first and sets it on fire. He then runs away.

Footage from before the fire begins showed the arson suspect "making a predetermined path to the vehicles," according to a statement from Kurt Anderson, the general manager at Bob Baker Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM.

"The surveillance video also shows the suspect carrying two bottles of accelerant and it was determined the suspect set the fire intentionally for financial gain," Anderson said. "Mr. McGhee did not have a warranty nor insurance coverage or the proposed amount to make the required repairs on his vehicle. He is suspected of torching his car along with a few others in an attempt to have the dealership's insurance cover the damages."

Anderson said the dealership has been working with insurance companies "to ensure ... customers are compensated for their losses."

McGhee was initially booked into the Vista jail, where he was being held in lieu of $240,000 bail. At his arraignment Tuesday, he pleaded not guilty, and a judge reduced his bail to $175,000. He was no longer listed as an inmate by Wednesday.

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