Update 10:23 a.m. Friday, April 10
Del Norte County jail officials have confirmed that additional charges were filed against Ronald Botelho III by Yolo County on Thursday.
Administrative Captain Kyle Stevens told CapRadio Friday morning Botelho’s new charges include 10 felonies and one misdemeanor. These include:
- Conspiracy to commit a crime
- Possession of explosives illegally
- Making a destructive device without a permit
- Possession of a destructive device
- Carrying an explosive device on one’s person
- Reckless possession of an explosive device
- Giving an explosive device to a person without a permit
Botelho remains in custody after being arrested by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office last December. “We initially arrested him on a joint operation with Yolo County for an investigation they were executing in many different counties out of their own,” Stevens explained.
Stevens said Botelho has a pending case in Del Norte County. Once that is completed, Botelho will be transferred to Yolo County to face criminal charges there.
Originally published 9:02 a.m. Friday, April 10
Multiple people have been arrested and criminally charged in connection to last year’s deadly explosion at a fireworks storage facility in Esparto.
Massive detonations shook the Yolo County town on July 1, 2025, instantly killing seven people and injuring two others. The blast also sparked a 78-acre wildfire.
The dead were employees of Devastating Pyrotechnics, ranging in age from 18 to 45. Among them was 18-year-old Jesus Ramos, whom family said was on his first day on the job alongside his brother, Jhony Ramos.
The charges
At least four people were arrested and charged in Yolo County on Thursday, including a married couple employed by the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office who owned the property where the fireworks storage facility was located. A corrections records specialist at the Yolo County Main Jail told CapRadio Thursday night Lieutenant Samuel Machado faces 26 charges including:
- Seven counts of murder
- Four counts of conspiracy to commit a crime
- Two counts of possession of an explosive illegally
- Making a destructive device without a permit
- Possession of a destructive device, prohibited
- Possession of an explosive in a public place
- Causing a fire of a structure on forest land
- Willful cruelty to a child, possible injury
- Cruelty to animals
- Four counts of possession of an assault weapon
- Two counts of making a false return with perjury declaration
- An unspecified charge identified as 18725 PC. According to the California Penal Code this is related to the transportation of destructive devices and explosives.
Machado is currently in custody at the Sutter County Main Jail. His wife Tammy Machado, who works in the sheriff’s office as an administrative employee, was also arrested and booked at the Yolo County Main Jail but later released on bond. Her charges were not disclosed by the jail employee.
The Machados were both placed on leave by the sheriff’s office shortly after the explosion.
Craig Cutright was also arrested and booked in Yolo County. He is the owner of Blackstar Fireworks, which also operated out of the Esparto site. A Yolo County Civil Grand Jury report released last month also lists him as a show producer for Devastating Pyrotechnics.
Cutright is also a volunteer member of the Esparto Fire Protection District, and was put on leave in the wake of the incident. He faces 12 charges including:
- Four counts of conspiracy to commit a crime
- Two counts of possession of an explosive illegally
- Making a destructive device without a permit
- Possession of a destructive device, prohibited
- The 18725 PC charge related to the transportation of destructive devices and explosives
- Possession of an explosive in a public place
- Two counts of giving an explosive to a person without a permit
Kenneth Chee, the founder and CEO of Devastating Pyrotechnics, was arrested Thursday in Florida. According to the Sacramento Bee, Chee was taken into custody at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios while vacationing with his family.
An automated jail line at the Orange County Corrections Department in Florida confirmed Chee’s arrest to CapRadio. It said he was booked Thursday on a fugitive from justice charge and is scheduled to appear in fugitive court. Orange County jail records show Chee's original charges include seven counts of murder, conspiracy and possession of explosives illegally, among others.
Jack Lee was also arrested and booked into Yolo County custody on Thursday. A 2023 fireworks bid submitted to the Rio Vista City Council identified Lee as the Operations Manager for Devastating Pyrotechnics. According to media reports Lee is also listed as the registered owner of the San Francisco home Devastating Pyrotechnics used as its business address.
He faces 16 charges including:
- Seven counts of murder
- Three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime
- Possession of an explosive illegally
- Making a destructive device without a permit
- Possession of a destructive device, prohibited
- The 18725 PC charge related to the transportation of destructive devices and explosives
- Possession of an explosive in a public place
- Causing a fire of a structure on forest land
The same 2023 document identifies the fireworks company as a “Licensed ATF and CalFire Importer & Manufacturer of display pyrotechnics.” But the San Francisco Chronicle previously reported Chee had been denied a license from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) following a criminal conviction in the 1990s. This made him ineligible to receive or possess explosive materials or be issued a federal explosives license or permit.
The Bee also reports Gary Chan Jr. and Ronald Botelho III were arrested and/or received additional criminal charges in Santa Clara and Del Norte counties, respectively, in connection to the Esparto tragedy.
CapRadio was unable to reach the Santa Clara County Main Jail to confirm Chan’s status as of Thursday night. He has been identified by multiple media outlets as having obtained Devastating Pyrotechnics’ federal explosives license in 2023.
An employee at the Del Norte County Main Jail confirmed to CapRadio Thursday night Botelho was in custody, but did not provide information about new charges. He was arrested in December by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office at his home in Crescent City.
The sheriff’s office said information that led to the search warrant and eventual arrest was part of an ongoing “multi-agency” investigation into the Esparto explosion. Botelho was arrested at the time on felony and misdemeanor charges including:
- Possession of destructive devices
- Reckless possession of explosives near or in a residential area
- Possession of materials with intent to make any destructive device
- Child endangerment
- Making, transporting, or possessing explosives
- Keeping a firearm where a child can gain access
- Illegal possession of an assault rifle
- Possession of more than 100 pounds of illegal fireworks
A Dec. 2025 photo from the Del Norte County Sheriff's Office of fireworks reportedly seized from Ronald Botelho III's home.Courtesy of Del Norte County Sheriff's Office
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig is expected to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. Friday to announce indictments against the suspects.
Was this tragedy preventable?
Investigations by multiple entities have examined systemic failures and missed signals that might have prevented last summer’s tragedy.
The Yolo County Civil Grand Jury’s scathing 32-page report found that county officials, agencies and emergency responders had been aware of illegal fireworks operations at the site for at least three years but took no action.
Firework businesses have been banned in the county since 2001. The board of supervisors released a statement on March 26 saying it “respectfully disagrees” with the grand jury’s assertions that Yolo County does not take code enforcement seriously.
Grand jurors included 16 recommendations to address the identified issues including creating a fire warden position, increased code enforcement staffing and training, and strengthening oversight of outside employment by sheriff’s deputies.
A Cal Fire task force formed in the wake of the explosion released its own final report that same week. The 14-page report identifies 37 recommendations to improve public safety and reduce the risk of fireworks incidents. These include potential changes to state fireworks laws and licensing procedures, boosting enforcement, and conducting inspections of fireworks storage locations.
These findings come as Cal Fire itself has received criticism over whether it is adequately enforcing California’s fireworks laws, or if the illegal pyrotechnics in Esparto could have been detected sooner.
The explosion initially prompted investigations by agencies including the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, Cal Fire’s Office of the State Fire Marshal and state workplace safety regulators.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office turned over its report to the DA in February, which included “evidence of illegal activities uncovered in the investigation.” No other information was given at the time as to the nature of the alleged activities.
Cal Fire previously confirmed both Chee and Cutright held state-issued pyrotechnic licenses. These were revoked last August after the agency said both men and their companies “had violated California’s fireworks laws and regulations.”
These violations included not filing proper importation documents, not reporting lost fireworks, and possessing fireworks without a local fire permit. Yolo County previously said it never issued any permits, licenses or approvals for the two companies to operate from the Esparto site.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) issued 15 citations to Devastating Pyrotechnics and its successors in December, totaling over $200,000 in fines.
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