Judge denies bail for Esparto fireworks defendant charged with murder, weighs unsealing grand jury records

A Yolo County judge on Thursday denied bail for one of the men charged with murder in last year's deadly Esparto fireworks explosion, and signaled he may soon unseal grand jury records in the case.

Judge Daniel Maguire ruled that Douglas Tollefsen will continue to be held without bail. Tollefsen is one of five defendants charged with seven counts of second-degree murder — one for each worker killed when fireworks and other pyrotechnics ignited at a rural property near the Yolo County town on July 1, 2025. 

Prosecutors described Tollefsen as a longtime operator and one of the “higher-level lieutenants” for Devastating Pyrotechnics, the company at the center of the case.

The ruling stands in contrast to recent bail decisions for some of Tollefsen’s co-defendants including former Yolo County Sheriff's Lieutenant Samuel Machado, who was released on bail this month, and Machado's wife, Tammy. Both owned the property where the fireworks facility was located. 

Craig Cutright, a former Esparto Fire Protection District member who ran a second fireworks company at the site, has also been released on bail.

Dispute over the cause

Much of the hearing centered on what caused the explosion and Tollefsen’s level of responsibility.

Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity argued the deaths were not the result of a single accident. She said the warehouse was packed with illegal explosives — many of which bore Tollefsen’s bespoke label — and that the blast was caused by a combination of factors.

"There is absolutely no way e-matching on its own could have caused the deaths of seven people," Nabity said, referring to the practice of attaching electric igniters to fireworks. She said the deaths were the result of deliberate acts by Tollefsen and his co-defendants.

Tollefsen's attorney, Ron Johnson, argued his client was not in charge of the warehouse and did not decide how the work was done. He said responsibility lay with on-site supervisors and the workers themselves, and that a surviving employee who testified before the grand jury named other men, not Tollefsen, as the ones giving directions.

"Mr. Tollefsen is never mentioned ever as someone who's in charge or making directions about what happens at that warehouse," Johnson said. He accused prosecutors of citing evidence that did not support their claims, saying he had checked each citation against the record.

Johnson also said workers were not provided with safety equipment, and that there was “significant alcohol and drug use going on” by five of the seven victims, including those in supervisory roles, which contributed to unsafe working conditions.

The judge's ruling

Maguire was not persuaded by the defense. He said there was sufficient evidence that Tollefsen was heavily involved in operations and contributed to both the dangerous conditions at the site, and the practice of preparing fireworks at the warehouse to save time. 

Maguire also pointed to allegations that Tollefsen took part in efforts to restart the fireworks business after the explosion. He called it "an alarming circumstance" that showed "a persistent desire to engage in the explosives business, even when the activities have caused great harm."

An order barring Tollefsen from rebuilding the business would be difficult to enforce, the judge said, and no lesser alternative to detention would work.

Sealed records

Johnson also asked the court to make one of his filings public, arguing it contained nothing that had not already been discussed in open court. Prosecutors objected, saying the document quotes sealed grand jury testimony that implicates other defendants and references sealed toxicology reports.

Maguire kept the filing confidential for now but said he was skeptical it needed to stay sealed. The judge put prosecutors on notice that he would consider unsealing the grand jury transcript at the next hearing, adding that the case is well underway

Maguire added he had not seen anything that justified continued secrecy, but would hear from prosecutors and the other defendants first.

In a separate matter, the judge found that defendant Jack Lee no longer qualifies for a court-appointed attorney after his lawyer disclosed Lee had inherited property worth as much as $1 million. 

Maguire provisionally allowed Lee's current attorney to remain on the case through an upcoming bail motion while Lee searched for private counsel.

What's next?

Eight defendants were indicted in April by a Yolo County criminal grand jury in connection to the explosion. Prosecutors described the operation as a “decade-long conspiracy” that imported more than 11 million pounds of explosives and sold them as consumer fireworks.

All of the defendants are due back in court July 1.