Edhat Staff
On August 23, 2019, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Deputies in the Santa Maria area responded with Santa Barbara County Fire to the Winepress Church located at 896 Cambria Ave. for a report of a structure fire. When deputies arrived, they saw heavy smoke rising from a structure behind the main church. Deputies approached the burning building, and observed a man who was sitting near the smoking structure on the west side of the church property. As deputies spoke with the subject about the fire, they learned that the man actually started the fire. During the course of their investigation, deputies determined that the act of starting the fire was directed against the church.
The subject, 19-year-old Gage Rowdy Tuttle, was arrested and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of Arson, Vandalism and Hate Crimes.
Santa Barbara County Fire personnel were successful in suppressing the fire and containing it to a storage shed before it could spread to the main church or other nearby residences. Santa Barbara County Fire arson investigators will investigate the specifics of how the fire was started.
As of this press release, Tuttle is in custody with bail set at $50,000. No booking photo is currently available.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in Orcutt on Friday for allegedly trying to set fire to a shed near Winepress Church.
Santa Barbara County Firefighters responded around 12:30 p.m. for smoke seen coming from the shed at 896 Cambria Ave. The fire was extinguished before spreading to nearby structures.
Gage Rowdy Tuttle was seen sitting near the structure and was arrested on suspicion of arson, vandalism, and hate crimes. His bail was set at $50,000.
Did the guy hate the church? Or maybe someone living in the shed? Just wondering what makes it a hate crime.
He’s an ADULT who will face adult CONSEQUENCES for his actions.
Yeah, why is it a hate crime ? I hope edhat is not going the way of Yahoo & most of the other fake news media .
serious mental issues don’t need jail. It’s more about trying to get on track with meds and psychiatric care.
Agree. Hate crime is over reach. Simple arson will do.
Watch out for the firebugs- it’s a creepy psychosexual disorder and while he’s starting small he’ll be past this in no time and moving on to bigger fires. Incurable.
Still waiting for the first love crime.