Executive Summary
- Authorities responded to a structure fire on Treehaven Drive at 4:47 a.m. Thursday.
- Investigators ruled the fire was intentionally set following a domestic violence incident.
- Suspect Jeremy Nichols was tracked to Harrah’s Casino and arrested by Douglas County deputies.
- Nichols faces charges of domestic battery and malicious arson to an inhabited structure.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — A South Lake Tahoe man has been taken into custody on charges of arson and domestic violence following a residential fire that authorities allege was intentionally set during a dispute early Thursday morning.
According to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call at approximately 4:47 a.m. reporting a structure fire on the 3300 block of Treehaven Drive. Responding units from South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue and the police department arrived to find the second story of the residence fully engulfed in flames. Fire crews, assisted by the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, successfully extinguished the blaze before it could spread to adjacent trees or homes. Authorities confirmed that no injuries to people or pets were reported during the incident.
Investigators determined that the fire originated from a domestic violence incident and had been started maliciously. Police identified the suspect as Jeremy Nichols of South Lake Tahoe. According to official reports, Nichols fled the scene before law enforcement arrived. Subsequent investigation located him in a hotel room at Harrah’s Casino. Authorities stated that Nichols initially refused to exit the room.
South Lake Tahoe Police detectives obtained an arrest warrant charging Nichols with domestic battery and two counts of malicious arson to an inhabited structure. Deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office subsequently entered the hotel room and executed the arrest. Nichols was transported to the Douglas County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail pending extradition to California.
Legal Proceedings and Investigation
This case highlights the operational necessity of cross-jurisdictional cooperation in the Lake Tahoe region, involving coordination between California police and Nevada sheriff’s deputies. As the investigation continues with assistance from a Sacramento City Fire Department arson investigator, the focus now shifts to the extradition process required to bring the suspect to trial in California. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
