Grand Jury Indicts Five for Murder in Fatal California Fireworks Warehouse Explosion
A grand jury in Yolo County, California, has indicted five individuals on murder charges in connection with a July 1 explosion at a fireworks warehouse that resulted in seven fatalities and two injuries. The indictments, announced on a Friday, lead to arraignments scheduled for the following Monday. In total, eight people face a combined 30 charges related to the incident.
The Incident and Its Aftermath
The explosion occurred on July 1 at a warehouse property located near the community of Esparto, approximately 40 miles northwest of Sacramento. Sources differ on whether to describe the location as Esparto or the nearby city of Woodland.
The blast triggered a large fire and was reported by nearby residents to be forceful enough to blow open doors of homes.
The incident led to the cancellation of Fourth of July celebrations in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties after fireworks designated for those events were destroyed.
Charges and Allegations
According to the indictments, the five individuals charged with murder are:
- Samuel Machado: The owner of the warehouse property and a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office at the time of the incident. The indictment states he allowed more than 1 million pounds of fireworks to be stored on his property and that the devices contained more explosive material than is legally permitted for consumer fireworks. It further alleges he used his position to help shield the operation from scrutiny.
- Kenneth Chee: The owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, whose fireworks were stored at the warehouse. He was arrested in Florida.
- Jack Lee: The operations manager for Devastating Pyrotechnics.
- Gary Chan Jr.: The individual whose name is on Devastating Pyrotechnics' federal license.
- Douglas Tollefsen: An individual who stored and sold fireworks at the warehouse. He was arrested in Northern California.
The indictments note that the warehouse expanded from containing 13 fireworks storage containers in 2015 to 50 containers last year.
Additional Defendants and Charges
Three additional individuals face charges in the case, bringing the total number of defendants to eight. They face a range of 30 charges including, but not limited to, conspiracy, possession of illegal assault weapons and explosives, insurance fraud, child endangerment, and animal cruelty.
The additional defendants are:
- Tammy Machado: Samuel Machado's wife and a former non-sworn administrative employee at the Yolo County Sheriff's Office. She was arrested and released on bail, facing charges of mortgage fraud, filing an incorrect tax return, and child endangerment related to storing explosives.
- Craig Cutright: The owner of Blackstar Fireworks and a volunteer firefighter. He was also arrested.
- Ronald Botelho III: An employee of Craig Cutright who has been in custody since December and now faces more than a dozen new charges.
Fatalities
The grand jury concluded the explosion caused the deaths of seven individuals. The victims have been identified as:
- Jesus Ramos, 18, of San Pablo, California
- Jhony Ramos, 22, of San Pablo, California
- Joel Melendez, 28, of Sacramento, California
- Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora, 43, of San Andreas, California
- Christopher Goltiao Bocog, of San Francisco, California
- Neil Li, of San Francisco, California
- Angel Mathew Voller, of Stockton, California
Next Steps in Legal Proceedings
All individuals charged are scheduled for arraignment in Yolo County Superior Court. Kenneth Chee is expected to be extradited from Florida to California to face the charges.