BARSTOW, Ca. – A 35-year-old Barstow woman was arrested for arson and probation violations early Sunday morning after allegedly setting fire to a vacant structure.
At around 4:28 a.m. Barstow Police and Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at a vacant structure in the 300 block of East Fredricks Street. When they arrived, they interviewed several witnesses and received information that the fire was intentionally set. The witnesses said that a woman was seen in the open doorway of the building prior to it catching fire. She left the area eastbound on Frederick Street.
Officers conducted and area check and located a woman in the 300 block of Main Street who matched the description that witnesses had provided. When officers made contact with the female she provided them with a false name, but they were able to identify her as Veronica Szoke. Szoke was on Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) and had an active arrest warrant for violation of PRCS.
Szoke was identified by witnesses as the person who was seen in the doorway of the building before the fire. Szoke was detained and through a search of her belongings, evidence connecting her to the crime. Szoke was booked at the West Valley Detention Center and is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Corporal Ronan Colleoc at the Barstow Police Department, (760) 256-2211. Those wishing to remain anonymous may also report criminal activity by calling the WE-Tip hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or on We-Tip’s website at www.wetip.com.
