On Friday, March 10th, 2023, at 8:25 pm, the Turlock Fire Department was dispatched to a reported fire at an abandoned residence in the 1500 block of Lander Ave, Turlock.
When firefighters arrived on scene, they found light smoke coming from the chimney. They made entry and found a small fire contained to the fireplace, as well as a man who immediately walked out and began walking northbound on Lander Ave.
Firefighters quickly put the fire out and the fire battalion chief followed the man, providing dispatch location updates, and ultimately leading to officers contacting him in the Dollar General Market parking lot.
The man was identified as Cecil McMillan, 31, of Winton, someone who has been arrested for trespassing in the same house countless times during the course of the past few months.
Because the only crimes committed were misdemeanors and they were not in the presence of officers, they were unable to make an arrest for any fresh charges, however, it was discovered that McMillan had two local misdemeanor bench warrants for trespassing. The first was a $1,500 one and the second was a $2,050 one.
McMillan was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on his warrants.