A Lodi police car was set on fire Friday morning near an officer's house. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Police car torched in Lodi; fire ruled arson

A parked Lodi police car was intentionally set on fire early Friday morning and burned so badly that it will have to be replaced at the cost of about $43,000, officials said.

The suspects apparently poured gasoline in the front end of the black and white car, poured more gas down the street for 90 feet and then set the fire. The blaze burned down the road to the car, where the entire engine compartment was soon engulfed in flames, the first time veteran officers can ever recall a Lodi police car being torched.

The car was assigned to School Resource Officer Terry Martin, who said he didn't think he had been targeted in the arson fire.

It was the same police car that was stolen from a maintenance shop in June 2004 and recovered after the suspect got into a minor accident and then took the car for a spin through a field.

This time, the car is beyond repair.

"I don't have any idea who would do it," he said. "You try to have good contacts with people and, especially in the schools, you try to prevent things from happening so there's no need for punishment."

Martin retired from the department in June after more than 30 years as a police officer. The department was short-staffed and asked if he'd be willing to work part-time, and Martin agreed.

Rick Ohlhauser lifts the hood of a Lodi police car that was set on fire Friday morning near an officer's house. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

His favorite assignment had been working in the schools and he once again resumed that position when one of the department's four school resource officers went on maternity leave earlier this year.

Martin splits his time between several schools in Lodi and is assigned a marked patrol car, which he takes home, as do the department's other school resource officers. It was parked near his home off Mills and Lodi avenues when the fire was reported at 3:20 a.m.

His 10-year-old granddaughter, Jessica Strootman, lives on the same block and awoke to hear commotion.

"I woke up and looked out the window. It was all orange and I thought our trees were on fire," she said.

Her 7-year-old brother, Andrew, said he was asleep but did hear a loud "boom," which his mother, Jennifer Strootman, said was likely the popping of a tire.

By the time the fire was out, the black paint was gone and both front tires were shredded. The radiator and various valves were gone, and even the rear plastic seat bent from the heat.

Fire crews work to put out a Lodi police car set on fire Friday morning in Lodi. (Courtesy photo)

Martin was able to get some items out of the trunk, though many of his police trading cards, which are popular with school children, were melted together.

"I did save my 30-something-year-old ticket book. It's a little smoky," Martin said, standing near the scorched spot on the pavement where his car had been parked.

The lengthy gasoline burn path was still visible on the street, and foam from firefighters hadn't quite vanished yet.

Including computer and emergency equipment, the Ford Crown Victoria will cost about $43,000 to replace, said Larry Manetti, a retired Lodi police captain who is working part-time as fleet manager.

The 1999 car had about 80,000 miles on it and probably would have been replaced next year, Manetti said.

It is insured but — as most vehicle owners discover when a used car is totaled in an accident — the city will only get the current value of the car, said Kirk Evans, budget manager for the city. He did not have a dollar figure yet but said it would not likely be much.

The police department's fleet policy recommends replacing cars after four years or 90,000 miles, but most cars are kept longer because of the cost, he said. Four cars are currently waiting to be replaced; one is 11 years old and has 104,000 miles on it.

The car was one of 24 marked patrol vehicles the department uses, not counting those designated for the chief, captains and lieutenants, as well as detectives. One car is in the shop and Martin will likely have to share a car with other patrol officers, Manetti said.

Martin began driving a patrol car home about six years ago and never had problems until Friday morning. He didn't think anyone was targeting him, because his personal truck was parked nearby and unscathed, and his house was not harmed.

Police officials said they aren't ruling anything out in the investigation.

"It could be random, it could be a student," Capt. David Main said. "Terry's always had such great rapport with his students, but that's part of the job: You never know."

It's not unusual for officers in various departments to take cars home, Police Chief Jerry Adams said. In the case of school resource officers, they go straight to schools in the morning, and they are occasionally called at other hours by school principals, he said.

"A lot of cities have personal patrol programs where they have more patrol cars out in the community," Adams said. "It's probably good having (a marked car) out there in the community."

He, Main and Manetti could not recall another such incident in Lodi. Martin said that once, before he was hired in 1975, an officer's personal car was burned while parked in front of the police station. That officer was targeted personally, not because of his job, Martin said.

Investigators have no reason to believe the arson is tied to the car's theft in June 2004, since it was stolen from a different location.

Martin's car was being repaired at the city's maintenance yard when a 19-year-old Lodi man entered the yard and said he was there to pick up the car. He left, got into a minor fender-bender, did some doughnuts in the field and was arrested the next day after officers tracked calls he'd made on the car's cell phone.

He later pleaded guilty, and voluntarily searched on his own for the vehicle's key he had tossed in the field.

Police officials said they won't likely change car policies but haven't ruled it out.

"It does advertise what we do and where we live," Main said. "My car, it's obvious what I do. Of course, my neighbors love it."

Anyone with information could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 and can remain anonymous by calling Lodi-Area Crime Stoppers at 333-6771.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.