In Your Town for Sept. 5, 2024

SAN RAFAEL

Wildfire suspect
appears in court

A man accused of igniting a wildfire in Marinwood entered a not-guilty plea in court on Wednesday.

Judge Kelly Simmons suspended criminal proceedings for Colin Crook, 34, a homeless resident, and ordered him to undergo a mental competency examination to see if he’s fit to stand trial. He remains in custody at Marin County Jail, where his bail was set at $12,000.

The 18-acre fire started near Queenstone and Ponte fire roads on Aug. 13. Evacuations were not ordered and no injuries were reported. Investigators later identified Crook as a potential suspect and arrested him after a brief struggle on Nave Road in Novato.

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office reported that Crook burned his tent and tried to extinguish the flames but he left before ensuring the fire was out.

On Wednesday, Crook also pleaded not guilty to a charge of resisting police.

Crook’s public defender, Jeff Mitchell, and prosecutor Rachel Minarovich declined to comment after the hearing. Crook’s next appearance is set for Sept. 24.

Robbery reported
at furniture store

A group of suspects smashed open display cases and stole jewelry from a San Rafael store.

The incident was reported at about 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Home Consignment Center on Bellam Boulevard.

San Rafael police Sgt. Justin Graham said that four suspects were seen breaking the cases with small sledgehammers and stealing an undisclosed amount of merchandise. One suspect served as a lookout at the store’s main entrance.

Graham said the robbery lasted about one minute before the suspects fled in a white Toyota Highlander SUV.  No injuries were reported. The suspects are considered dangerous and should not be approached, he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call 415-485-3000 or visit SRPD.org/tips.

SACRAMENTO

Ex-mayor of Novato
gets new state post

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Josh Fryday, a former mayor and council member in Novato, to be director of Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement.

Since 2019, Fryday has been the director of California Volunteers, which was launched during the pandemic to form a statewide volunteer corps. The agency also administers the AmeriCorps program in the state.

The Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement was established this summer under Senate Bill 164. The legislation says the office will be “organized within” California Volunteers, the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications and the California Youth Empowerment Commission.

The office also will “succeed to, and be vested with, all the duties and responsibilities of the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation related to the administration or implementation of those programs or offices,” the legislation says.

Before joining the state government, Fryday served on the Novato City Council from 2016 to 2019. He is a former Navy officer and judge advocate general, and he has a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, according to the governor’s office.

The annual salary for the position is $231,720. Fryday is a Democrat and lives in Davis.