The Colusa man convicted of setting the fire that destroyed Safe Haven Wellness and Recovery Center on Oct. 24, 2019, was sentenced last week to nearly three years in state prison.
Robert Dean Cates, 74, a former peer leader of the Behavioral Health program, was sentenced on Oct. 13 to two years in prison for arson of a structure. He will serve a consecutive sentence of eight months for being a felon in possession of a firearm that had been discovered in a suitcase inside his home when law enforcement served a search warrant at his Main Street apartment after the fire.
Colusa County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Thomspon said Cates was not eligible for probation given the nature of the crime and his previous criminal history. In 1997, Cates, then using the name Robert Dean Koym, was charged with murder in the shooting death of Bolivar Delgado, but was convicted by a jury of criminally negligent homicide and tampering with physical evidence after the only witness to the shooting refused to testify.
While investigating the Colusa arson, District Attorney investigators discovered Cates has a criminal history in California, dating to the 1970s, including allegations involving burglary, vehicle theft, and carrying a concealed weapon. According to court records, Cates has a number of alcohol related crimes, including several for intoxicated driving, one a Colusa County DUI conviction in 2010.
Safe Haven is a peer-supported drop-in center for adults dealing with mental health issues, alcoholism, and substance abuse. The organization had just moved from its Main Street location into the former Colusa Woman’s Club, located at 517 Oak St., the month prior to the fire, and the group had just celebrated its grand opening.
According to federal arson investigator, Special Agent Brian Parker, who testified at Cates’ trial, the fire was intentionally set in the sitting area of the front room, and an accelerant had been used to aid its quick spread through the building.
Cates, who had keys to the building, was seen on surveillance video entering and exiting the front door around 5 AM, about 15 minutes before the fire was reported by a neighbor who drove past the facility.
Deputy District Attorney Winston Welch, who prosecuted the case, said Cates likely begrudged members of the group who had voted him off the board of directors just prior to the fire.
Cates, who was originally steadfast in his innocence, was convicted on two felony charges by a jury on June 4. He later pleaded no contest to arson and firearm possession, stipulating a factual basis for the charges.
The unusual post-conviction plea deal resulted in Cates waiving his right to appeal the conviction, in exchange for the DA dismissing a felony charge of failing to appear in court after Cates fled California before sentencing.
Cates was captured near the Canadian border after nearly a month on the run and was extradited back to Colusa County, where he remained in custody until sentencing and transfer to state prison.
The Oak Street property has since been demolished, with Safe Haven recently finding a new home in the Schaap Medical Building on East Webster Street.■