POSSIBLE INSURANCE FRAUD SUSPECTED IN YUCCA VALLEY VEHICLE ARSON

The Sheriff’s Department is investigating a vehicle arson in Yucca Valley that investigators say may be a case of attempted insurance fraud. According to a Sheriff’s report, firefighters were called to a vehicle fire at 5 a.m. Monday in the open desert south of Yucca Valley, between La Contenta and Carmelita Circle. When they arrived, they found a 2004 VW Touareg fully engulfed in flames. The Sheriff’s Department contacted the car’s owner, who said the car had been stolen. After an investigation, deputies—with the assistance of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service—served a search warrant on the owner’s home. The report states deputies determined the car’s registered owner caused his vehicle to be destroyed by fire, and then made a false stolen vehicle report to commit insurance fraud. The Sheriff’s Department has not released the name of the suspect at this time.