Alpine

An Alpine man has been arrested in connection with 10 arsons at the apartment complex where he lived and nearby locations, the Sheriff’s Department said Friday.

Randy Dean Mann, 31, a resident of the Alpine Apartments in the 2200 block of Alpine Boulevard, was arrested in his home about 10:15 p.m. Thursday, said Sgt. Conrad Grayson of the Sheriff’s arson explosives unit. Mann was booked into the downtown County Jail on suspicion of 10 counts of arson. His bail was set at $400,000.

Deputies arrested Mann after a fire broke out about 8:55 p.m. Thursday in the men’s restroom in the clubhouse at the apartment complex, said deputy Pat Espinoza of the arson explosives unit.

Because several arsons have occurred at the complex in recent weeks, deputies had had the location under surveillance for a week and had noticed Mann near the clubhouse shortly before the fire, Espinoza said.

Since Mann moved into the Alpine Apartments in mid-July, there have been four fires there, including one in the recreation room that caused $20,000 damage, Espinoza said. Since Nov. 17, there have been six other blazes within two blocks of the complex, he said.