City of Merced Fire Department
For Immediate Release
Contact: Captain Morgan Madruga
(209) 385-6876
madrugam@cityofmerced.org
Merced Fire Investigation Unit and Merced Police Department DART Team (Disruptive Area Response Team) announced an arrest was made late Thursday night (February 11th) in the Carrow's commercial structure fire, 720 Motel Dr. Jay Desmond Jackson, a transient was arrested on felony counts of arson. The Merced Fire Investigation Unit, Merced Police Department DART team and UC Merced Detectives worked collectively through a joint task force to accomplish this arrest. An anonymous physical description was provided which helped investigators discover a person of interest who later became the primary suspect. The fire occurred early morning on February 8th on 720 Motel Drive in Merced. Multiple fire units responded to this commercial fire that caused an estimated $1.5 million in damages. No injuries were reported. Anyone with more information is asked to call The Merced Fire Investigation Unit at (209) 385-6891.
