REPORT OF SMOKE RESULTS IN DRUG ARREST

A call to the fire department about smoke at a Yucca Valley apartment Tuesday morning sent a man to jail on allegations of drug possession. According to Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Wilson, a neighbor called 911 at 11:45 a.m. to report smoke coming from an apartment in the 7400 block of Elk Trail. Sheriff’s Deputy J. Delgado discovered Jason Ritchey, 33, was trying to burn the insulation off wire in a metal drum in his back yard. After an investigation, Delgado found suspected methamphetamine on Ritchey. Ritchey was arrested on suspicion of possession of dangerous drugs, booked into the Morongo Basin Jail, with his bail set at $25,000.