Police: Man falsely reported being set on fire

Robert Summa, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read
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Dec. 22—The Sutter County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that a man who had claimed that his car was stolen after being zip-tied and set on fire falsely reported the incident and that no actual crime occurred.

On Dec. 7, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office said it received a 911 call from a 33-year-old man claiming that his vehicle had been stolen and later claimed he was set on fire during the robbery. According to officials with the sheriff's office, CHP was dispatched to an area near Hutchinson Road and S. George Washington Boulevard in Yuba City. After deputies arrived at the scene, they located the victim and learned that he had allegedly been assaulted and burned, officials previously said.

"Medical arrived and the victim was later transported to the hospital and treated for his injuries," the sheriff's office said at the time.

After interviewing the alleged victim, officials said that he had been flagged down by a woman in a black SUV on the side of the road. The victim claimed that upon approaching the woman to see if she needed assistance, two "Middle Eastern men" exited from the vehicle. One was allegedly armed with a knife and the other carried what the victim believed to be a firearm, officials previously reported.

Officials said they were led to believe that the suspects zip-tied the victim's legs, poured gasoline on him and set him on fire. The victim claimed that he was able to put out the fire by rolling on the ground.

The suspects also allegedly stole the victim's wallet along with his vehicle, which was later located several miles away, officials previously said. A replica firearm was also found at the crime scene, officials said.

On Thursday, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office clarified that none of those alleged crimes actually happened. As a result, Aurelio Guzman-Hernandez, who was listed as being 34 years old according to jail records, was arrested for filing a false police report.

"Sutter County Sheriff's Office Detectives completed a thorough investigation with the assistance of an agent from the Chico FBI Office," officials said in a statement on Thursday. "They discovered there was no sufficient evidence the crime occurred. Conversely, there was sufficient evidence the crime did not occur, and the crime had been falsely reported."

As of late Thursday afternoon, Guzman-Hernandez was listed as still being held at Sutter County Jail with his bail set at $2,500.