John Dean Thomason faces seven counts of arson
By Sam Catanzaro
A man faces charges for seven counts of arson for setting fires behind several Santa Monica businesses.
On September 26, 2022, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office filed seven counts of Arson against John Dean Thomason, a 51-year-old homeless male. This comes after Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) detectives were assigned to investigate several recent arson incidents in the city.
“Detectives reviewed the reports, evidence, and several hours of video surveillance footage and were able to link Thomason to at least seven separate incidents,” the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) said.
According to the SMPD, on September 25, 2022, while working patrol, the detective assigned to investigate these arsons located Thomason on the 1200 block of Euclid and arrested him on the following cases:
• 08/27/22 at 5:30 PM – Fire set behind 1227 4th Street (St. Augustine Church)
• 08/27/22 at 5:33 PM – Fire set behind 1245 4th Street (St. Peter Coptic Church)
• 08/27/22 at 5:39 PM – Fire set behind 1338 5th Street (Dog PPL)
• 09/01/22 at 12:32 PM – Fire set behind 1630 12th Street (Radical Media)
• 09/01/22 at 12:33 PM – Fire set behind 1652 12th Street (Caliber Collision)
• 09/02/22 at 10:47 AM – Fire set behind 1547 6th Street
• 09/02/22 at 10:55 AM – Fire set behind 1530 5th Street (Silvercrest Senior Citizen Apt)
The case was submitted to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Bureau of Specialized Prosecution Arson and Explosives Target Crimes Division. The DA’s office filled all 7 counts against Thomason.
Thomason is currently being held in the Men’s Central Jail in Downtown Los Angeles on a 350,000 bond. He is next due to appear in court on October 19.
This marks the third time Thomason has been arrested this year. According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center, Thomason was arrested and later released on citation on two separate occasions in June and July for misdemeanors committed. In both cases, he was arrested by officers from the LASD Transit Services Bureau.
