2 Men Arrested in Torching of Trucks

Two young men were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of arson and auto theft related to the torching of two pickup trucks on Rancho Conejo Boulevard in Thousand Oaks, the Sheriff’s Department reported.

Craig Alan Barnikel, 18, of Newbury Park and Drew Jonathan Fallon, 23, of Thousand Oaks were booked at the Ventura County Jail on Tuesday, with bail set at $250,000 apiece, deputies reported.

Sheriff’s and Fire Department investigators said the two men are also suspects in other arsons that have been reported in the Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park areas for the past 1 1/2 years.

“Those fires involved vehicles, structures, dumpsters, trash cans, as well as several gas pump nozzles,” Sheriff’s Sgt. David Paige said.

The arrests came after Sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Nagel and other sheriff’s and Fire Department officials responded to a 4:30 a.m. report of a vehicle fire behind commercial buildings near 1111 Rancho Conejo Blvd.

Nagel spotted a vehicle with the two men leaving the area and stopped it, Paige said. Inside, he said, Nagel found stolen property that had been taken from a catering van that was parked in the same area as one of the burned trucks.

The investigation “will continue as to their involvement in other arsons within the Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park areas,” Paige said.