Location: Avenue 168 and Road 204, Poplar

Incident Date: 5/31/17

Incident Time: 11:13 a.m.

Case Number: 17-06537

City: Poplar

Posted by: Dispatch

On 5-31-17, Tulare County Sheriff’s Ag Crimes Detectives were contacted and responded to the above listed location in an effort to assist Tulare County Fire Investigators in an ongoing arson investigation.

Detectives arrived on scene and located tire track evidence as well as accelerants used to start a fire. It was determined a large pile of used grape stakes were set on fire and ultimately caused a large portion of the Tule River bank to be unintentionally burned. Witnesses on scene provided investigative leads and Detectives as well as Tulare County Fire Investigators are actively pursuing them.     

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective R. Gunderman or Sgt. Chad Rhyman with the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division at (559) 735-1898. They can also call 24 hours a day at (559) 733-6218 or anonymously, by accessing the TipNow page at tcso@tipnow.com.