Sierra County District Attorney
Lawrence R. Allen
District Attorney / Public Administrator

Through a plea arrangement with the Sierra County District Attorney, and the Nevada County District Attorney’s Office, Erin Randall (38) of Truckee has entered guilty pleas to arson for fires set in Loyalton and Truckee on June 1, 2009. Under the plea, she admitted to felony arson charges of her chiropractic business on Main Street in Loyalton, and to her business in Truckee. The buildings were leased by Ms. Randall to house her chiropractic business. In addition, she has agreed to pay restitution to the owners of these businesses, and a third location, her residence, in Truckee which she also set on fire. Her exposure when sentenced on January 2010, is five years in prison on the Loyalton matter, and an additional 16 months on the Truckee case. Randall will be required to register as an arsonist for the rest of her life. Arson is considered a serious felony under California law which qualifies as a strike and requires that she do at least 85% in custody before receiving any good time credits off the original sentence.

The case started at approximately 6 AM on June 1, when Loyalton Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 213 Main Street, which housed Randall’s chiropractic practice. The building is a two-story commercial/residential building with private quarters upstairs. The initial response included several neighbors responding to screams for help from a woman apparently trapped in the upstairs portion of the building. The woman, who turned out to be Randall, was rescued with the use of neighbor’s ladder. The fire department was quickly able to knock the fire out, but the fire caused with a few thousand dollars in damage. Initial investigations by the Loyalton Fire Department and the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department indicated that the fire was likely intentionally set. The scene was secured, and a special investigator from CAL FIRE responded to process the scene. Later that same day, two other structure fires were reported in Truckee, which housed Randall’s Truckee business and her Glenshire residence. The investigation was concluded by Truckee Police, Truckee Fire, CAL FIRE, Loyalton Fire, the Sierra County Sheriff’s Department, and an investigator from the Sierra County District Attorney. The investigation resulted in the charges and incarceration of Randall. Randall has been in custody in the Nevada County jail since shortly after the incident.