Woman charged with arson in Merced apartment fire

A 32-year-old Merced woman pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a single felony charge of aggravated arson in connection with an apartment fire last week that sent her boyfriend to the hospital and displaced 15 residents.

Danielle H. Moulton entered her plea before Judge Mark V. Bacciarini in Merced Superior Court, according to the Court Clerk’s Office.

She is due back in court Tuesday for a preliminary hearing, according to court records.

Moulton is charged with deliberately setting the fire Dec. 10 at an apartment she shared with her boyfriend, Enrique R. Vera, at 329 West 11th St., Merced, according to the criminal complaint filed by the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

Vera, 67, suffered minor injuries, described as smoke inhalation, and was treated and released from an area hospital, the Merced County Fire Department confirmed.

Cory Haas, the city fire captain leading the investigation, said total damage to the building and contents was estimated at about $105,000. Haas said he could not comment on how the fire was started or what Moulton’s motive might have been.

The fire appears to have started in the couple’s living room, investigators have said previously.

According to a Merced Police Department report, Moulton and Vera had been dating for several months and officers had made numerous contacts with Moulton at the couple’s home, including earlier the day of the fire. The police report describes Moulton as a habitual methamphetamine user who frequently becomes “paranoid” that people are trying to hurt her when she’s under the influence.

Capt. Bimley West said officers spotted Moulton in the area while the fire was still burning. “She did speak with the officers and they believe that she started the fire intentionally,” West said.

Fifteen people were displaced by the blaze, which caused significant heat and smoke damage to a neighboring unit and forced the closure of all four apartments in the complex. All displaced residents have been receiving help from the American Red Cross and the Merced Fire Department, officials said

Building owner Samir Ahmed on Tuesday said there was no timetable for when residents could return to their homes. “The Fire Department said it would take at least three or four weeks to complete the report, and then we have to have the insurance come through,” Ahmed said. “Then we’re going to rebuild it.”

Ahmed said he has owned the building for about 18 months and he was relieved investigators made an arrest in the case.

This story was originally published December 16, 2014 at 3:41 PM with the headline "Woman charged with arson in Merced apartment fire."