SWAT team arrests suspect in case involving body found in storage unit near Sonora
A Jamestown man faces murder and other charges in the death of a Twain Harte resident whose body was found in a storage unit in October.
The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday announced charges against Steven Mathew Berrigan, 49, in a news release, just days after he was arrested. He is accused of killing Craig Arthur Hale, 76, and also of stealing the victim’s vehicle and identity.
The Sheriff’s Office has not disclosed other details in the case, including how long Hale’s body had been in the unit at Purely Storage, off Tuolumne Road east of Sonora.
Detectives found the body after executing a search warrant on Oct. 7 as part of a missing-person investigation.
Berrigan was arrested by the sheriff’s SWAT team early Sunday at the Twin Pines Mobile Home Park, off Highway 49-108 near Jamestown.
“Information gathered by detectives revealed Berrigan had a homemade explosive device and planned on using the device against law enforcement,” Wednesday’s news release said.
No detonation was reported.
Berrigan’s alleged role in Hale’s death was not disclosed until Wednesday. The release said he also has felony warrants related to four other cases: one involving methamphetamine sales and resisting arrest charges in June; one involving the alleged evading of deputies in the town of Tuolumne in November; and two reported in the past week, connected to alleged domestic violence and criminal threats.
Berrigan is being held at the Tuolumne County jail; his bail amount was not available Wednesday.
Anyone with information about Berrigan’s case can contact Detective J. Lee at 209-694-2955, authorities said.
