Corona man arrested after breaking into and setting fire to Temecula woman’s home

TEMECULA — Officials arrested a man they allege broke into and set fire to a woman’s home before carjacking the victim’s vehicle, Saturday morning, Nov. 11. The early morning incident happened at a private residence on the 40100 block of Canton Court in Temecula, according to officials.

After an investigation deputies arrested the man, identified as Jack Lee Larrabee, 28, of Corona. He was later booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of burglary, arson, carjacking and vehicle theft.

The investigation began at 3:37 a.m., when deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Temecula Police Station responded to reports of an in-progress burglary at a home, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant James Wilson explained in a written press release.

While deputies were still responding to the residence, the victim updated emergency dispatchers that Larrabee had fled the location in the victim’s car after setting a second fire in the home’s garage.

Moments later, deputies responding to the victim’s home spotted Larrabee leaving the neighborhood in the woman’s vehicle in the area of Charleston Lane and Annapolis Drive. Officials conducted a traffic stop and subsequently detained Larrabee for further investigation.

During their investigation, deputies learned the owner of the home woke up when Larrabee tripped the home’s alarm system and discovered Larrabee had broken into her residence and set fire to the kitchen.

When the victim, identified only as a 49-year-old woman, confronted Larrabee, he “barricaded himself in the garage, set a second fire, and ran off with the owner’s car keys,” Wilson explained. “The homeowner attempted to stop the suspect but he entered the vehicle and fled the scene.”

The victim was not injured during the incident.

Based on their investigation, deputies arrested the Larrabee.

Officials have not specified if Larrabee knew the victim or if there was a known motive for the incident.

An online jail records search revealed Larrabee remains in custody, held on $250,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Nov. 15.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact Officer Punzalan from the Temecula Police Department at (951) 696-3000. Callers can refer to incident file number TE173150019 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.