Brian Tell booking photo
SOQUEL—Detectives with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office have made an arrest in a Soquel arsonist case that saw over ten automobiles set ablaze on both Park Avenue and Subec Lane on a Wednesday night in January.
The suspect, 44-year-old Brian Tell of Aptos, is charges with multiple counts of arson.
Just before midnight on Wednesday, January 20, over ten cars were set on fire in the area of Park Avenue and Subec Lance in Soquel. Police used social media to circulate videos of a possible suspect.
One local business which played a helpful role was Bay Photo, a photo developing and manipulation business located on Park Avenue. They were able to provide police with a clear image of the suspect.
Detectives discovered that the same suspect had been seen at the Metro Center in Santa Cruz boarding a bus to Soquel. On Monday, February 1, detectives received a tip which led them to identify Tell.
That afternoon, Sheriff’s detectives paid Tell a visit at his home, armed with a search warrant.
After finding evidence linking him to the crimes, detectives took Tell into custody. He was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on two counts of arson with bail set at $25,000.
