Two folks had been arrested in Pacific Palisades Saturday for allegedly utilizing a firetruck purchased at an public sale to impersonate firefighters at a checkpoint reserved for crews responding to the lethal Palisades Hearth.
The Los Angeles Wildfires began two weeks in the past and proceed to burn increasingly of the county as different states and even different nations like Mexico ship in further emergency responders to help.
Amid the inflow of first responders, two folks took it upon themselves to attempt to mix in — with a hulking firetruck of their very own.
Sheriff’s deputies stopped the 2 fake firefighters whereas they had been attempting to roll by way of the checkpoint of their firetruck, Commander Minh Dinh of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division wrote on Fb.
The duo allegedly lied to the officers and claimed to be from the “Roaring River Hearth Division” in Oregon. They even got here stocked with their very own tools, together with full turnout gear, helmets, and radios. They had been additionally sporting CAL-Hearth shirts beneath their gear, based on Dinh.
When the deputies realized the Roaring River Hearth Division didn’t exist, they arrested Dustin Nehl, 31, and Jennifer Nehl, 44, for impersonating a firefighter and getting into an evacuation zone. The firetruck has since been impounded, based on Dinh.
Dustin Nehl has a previous prison historical past in Oregon for prison mischief and arson. It’s unclear if the 2 are from California, or if they may’ve made the trek from Oregon.
Investigators will likely be presenting the case to the Los Angeles County District Legal professional’s Workplace on Tuesday.
Arson makes an attempt have cropped up round Los Angeles County as emergency responders proceed to attempt to douse the flames. Authorities have repeatedly promised that anybody attempting to make the already tragic scenario even worse, together with arsonists and looters, will face the complete extent of the regulation.
The Pacific Palisades reached 52% containment on Sunday after two weeks of tireless efforts to place it out. The one different wildfire nonetheless left, the Eaton hearth, has been 81% contained as residents begin to return to the realm, based on Cal Hearth.
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