Woman’s tip leads to man suspected of multiple Bay Area arson fires

Sonoma County officials arrested a man suspected of setting multiple fires in Cloverdale, law enforcement announced last week. 

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Deputies with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office arrested 29-year-old Luke Deramo on Tuesday, the sheriff’s office wrote on social media. Deramo had previously been identified as a suspect in connection with several fires in the Cloverdale area. 

Deputies were attempting to locate Deramo in the Geysers Road area at 9 a.m., the sheriff’s office wrote. While patrolling, a deputy made contact with a woman in a parked car and told her to reach out to law enforcement if she saw Deramo. The woman knew Deramo, the Press Democrat reported. 

“Approximately 30 minutes later, the woman called 911 to report that Deramo had emerged from nearby brush, climbed into the bed of her truck, and refused to leave,” the sheriff’s office wrote. “He then vandalized her vehicle with a rock and fled back into the brush near the river.” 

A vegetation fire was reported in the area shortly after the woman’s report. While fire personnel responded to the fire, law enforcement continued searching for Deramo. He was taken into custody about a mile from where the fire was set. 

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According to the Press Democrat, Deramo allegedly set a trash can on fire on Geysers Road on May 15. Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Emily Fuller told the outlet that investigators believe he may be a suspect in several recent fires in Cloverdale, at least three of which were set on Geysers Road near the Mendocino County line. The fire allegedly set by Deramo on Tuesday burned 0.06 acres, the Press Democrat reported. 

Deramo was booked into the Sonoma County Jail with his bail set at $1,121,000, the sheriff’s office wrote. He is still in custody.