The explosion killed Jes\u00fas Ramos, 18; Jhony Ramos, 22; Joel \u201cJunior\u201d Melendez, 28; Carlos Rodriguez-Mora, 43; Angel Mathew Voller, 18; Christopher Bocog, 45; and Neil Li, 41.<\/p>\n
The Machados were two of eight people named in criminal grand jury indictments<\/a> finalized April 3 in relation to the fatal explosion.<\/p>\n The married couple, along with five others, were arrested Thursday in a sweeping law enforcement effort that involved regional agencies, such as the San Jose Police Department, in addition to the U.S. Marshals Florida\/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. One man previously arrested and still in custody in Del Norte County jail, Ronald Botelho III, had suspected charges added on Thursday.<\/p>\n According to the indictments, Sam Machado will face seven second-degree murder charges \u2014 one for each person killed in the explosion. Four others \u2014 Kenneth Chee, Gary Chan Jr., Jack Lee and Douglas Tollefsen \u2014 were also indicted for the deaths.<\/p>\n Chee is the founder of Devastating Pyrotechnics, one of two fireworks companies that prosecutors said had been illegally operating on the Machados\u2019 property at the corner of County Roads 23 and 86A. The other company, BlackStar Fireworks, was under the direction of Craig Cutright, who was also arrested Thursday on suspicion of multiple felony charges in relation to the indictments.<\/p>\n Cutright, Botelho and Tammy Machado are not charged with murder.<\/p>\n Sam Machado was expected to face more charges \u2014 conspiracy to commit crimes, weapons violations, tax fraud and multiple counts related to handling and possessing illegal fireworks. He remains in Sutter County jail without bail.<\/p>\n Tammy Machado is suspected of mortgage fraud and two counts of willfully making a false return under penalty of perjury. She was taken into custody and posted bond on Thursday.<\/p>\n The Machados also face charges of child endangerment and animal cruelty stemming from \u201ca substantial volume of explosives … stored adjacent to a family pool\u201d feet from their home, Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said during Friday\u2019s news conference unveiling the indictments.<\/p>\n The Machados were not the first Sheriff\u2019s Office employees to resign following the fireworks explosion. Reiko Matsumura, Tammy Machado\u2019s sister and a sheriff\u2019s deputy of 18 years, retired in September<\/a>.<\/p>\n Following the death of their father, Jerry Matsumura, the sisters split the property they inherited. Reiko Matsumura\u2019s parcel stored fireworks in seven containers licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that were not part of the explosion, The Bee previously reported.<\/a> She was not indicted by the grand jury.<\/p>\n Jerry Matsumura, a lifelong Esparto resident and farmer, had served as a local fire district commissioner and regularly blasted off fireworks for years. According to a civil grand jury report published in March<\/a>, nearby residents remember him regularly setting off shows in the spring, to test out July 4 ideas, and in the fall, to dispose of the rest.<\/p>\n For him, \u201cfireworks were a sideline, somewhere between an actual business and a hobby,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n All dangerous fireworks have been banned by ordinance through rural Yolo County since 2001, according to the report.<\/p>\n When asked Friday, the sheriff said he did not know there was a fireworks company operating for years on the Machados\u2019 property. He later walked back that statement saying that he knew Jerry Matsumura years ago had \u201cmaybe four containers on his property\u201d before he died.<\/p>\n Lopez, who served for a decade as fire chief of neighboring Madison Fire Protection District, added that he never checked to see if the proper permits were in place for fireworks storage on the property.<\/p>\n \u201cI was not aware of the extent that that operation has grown into,\u201d said Lopez, who left the fire district after he was elected sheriff in 2018. Sam Machado previously worked with Lopez at the Madison agency.<\/p>\n \u201cI did not know anything about Devastating Pyrotechnics or the other company,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Lopez also confirmed the department had hired an external third party to conduct an internal investigation, adding it began late last year. Lopez said he does not expect the internal investigation to conclude until they obtain Cal Fire\u2019s report, which would include the cause of the fire and is a part of the ongoing criminal investigation. Cal Fire\u2019s report, conducted by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, was turned over to the DA\u2019s Office<\/a> in February. A separate report by a Cal Fire task force, outlining the cause of the blast and 37 recommendations to prevent another tragedy, was released to the public that same month<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Sheriff\u2019s Office had recused itself from the investigation days after the inferno. Lopez clarified on Friday that the agency had informed Cal Fire on how to obtain search warrants with the county, but then backed away. Previous Bee reporting showed Sheriff\u2019s Office vehicles and personnel participating in the execution of search warrants, including one in San Francisco<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lopez reaffirmed his decision to keep the Sheriff\u2019s Office out of the investigation. He said Friday the recusal was taken to maintain the integrity of the investigation and to rebuild trust with the public.<\/p>\n \u201cI think my deputies that are out on patrol … they continue to do their job professionally, and we continue to have the support of our community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"Yolo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3187_HA_260410_YoloSheriffEsparto.JPG\" "\\"3187_HA_260410_YoloSheriffEsparto.JPG\\"")
Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez speaks at news conference Friday after eight people, including two former employees of his department, were indicted in relation to the fatal Esparto fireworks explosion in 2025. HECTOR AMEZCUA nlevine@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"Yolo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/3273_HA_260410_YoloSheriffEsparto.JPG\" "\\"3273_HA_260410_YoloSheriffEsparto.JPG\\"")
Yolo County Sheriff Tom Lopez speaks at news conference Friday after eight people, including two former employees of his department, were indicted in relation to the fatal Esparto fireworks explosion in 2025. HECTOR AMEZCUA nlevine@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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