Local News in Brief : Suspect in Series of Arson Fires Charged on Drug, Arms Counts
A 32-year-old Northridge man who is a suspect in a series of arson fires was bound over for trial Wednesday on several narcotics and weapons violations.
Robert Bruce Williams, who is scheduled to appear in Van Nuys Superior Court on Feb. 20, has been charged with one count of possessing cocaine, one count of cultivating marijuana, one count of possessing a silencer and one count of possessing a destructive device near a habitation. He is being held in County Jail on $68,500 bail.
Williams has been connected by authorities to investigations into several arson fires in the San Fernando Valley, including two fires in January at an apartment complex under construction near Williams’ home. Williams has not been charged in connection with the two fires, which caused $2.6 million in damage. Deputy Dist. Atty. Kenneth Barshop said the investigation into the cause of the fires is continuing.
San Fernando Superior Court Judge James Satt denied a motion by Williams’ attorney, Nathan Snyder, to reduce Williams’ bail.
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