Man charged with arson after allegedly setting truck on fire following argument with worker

SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (ABC4) — A man has been charged with arson after he allegedly set a company truck on fire following an argument with an employee of the business.

Mario Alberto Ledezma-Soria, 39, has been charged with arson with damages exceeding $5,000 in value, a second-degree felony, damaging a jail or place of confinement, a third-degree felony, and possession or use of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor.

South Salt Lake Fire Department responded to a grass fire near Martin Door in Salt Lake County on July 29. The fire spread approximately 200 square feet before it was extinguished, and a vehicle was also burned.

According to charging documents, investigators obtained video surveillance of the incident, which shows an individual approaching the vehicle. The individual spends a short time by the vehicle, and then a “rapid ignition fire” can be seen. The individual flees on foot, and a grey SUV stops to observe the fire.

The vehicle on fire burned until it was completely engulfed in flame, and the fire then spread to the grassy area.

Additional video footage obtained by investigators shows the individual who started the fire getting into the grey SUV, which was later located. Investigators obtained a warrant to place a tracker on the vehicle, and later stopped and arrested the driver, who was later identified as Mario Alberto Ledezma-Soria.

The damage to Martin Doors was around $17,000.

When interviewed by police, Ledezma-Soria allegedly admitted to setting the truck on fire after an argument with an employee at Martin Doors, and he also admitted to starting another fire in April at the same location. After he was arrested, a “crystal-like substance” was found on his person, which later tested positive for methamphetamine.

While being transported to jail, Ledezma-Soria allegedly damaged part of the police car, a microphone in the passenger compartment. He allegedly bit down on it and ripped it off the wire.

Ledezma-Soria is currently being held in the Salt Lake County Jail on a no bail warrant.