Sheriff's lieutenant, wife among 8 charged in deadly Esparto fireworks explosion

Fireworks warehouse in Esparto not zoned to store fireworks, investigation reveals

Fireworks warehouse in Esparto not zoned to store fireworks, a KCRA3 investigation reveals

ESPARTO, Calif. - Yolo County officials on Friday indicted eight people, including a sheriff's lieutenant and his wife, in connection with a deadly fireworks warehouse explosion in Esparto last summer.

The July 1 blast killed seven people. Those charged include Gary Chan, Jack Lee, Ronald Botelho, Douglas Tollefson, Samuel Machado, Tammy Machado, Kenneth Chee, and Craig Cutright, according to District Attorney Jeff Reisig.

"It’s been a massive investigation, and certainly during my 20-year tenure as the DA, it has been the largest we’ve ever undertaken," Reisig said. "We’ve attempted to leave no stone unturned."

Murder and conspiracy charges

What we know:

Chan, Lee, Chee, Tollefson, and Samuel Machado face seven counts each of second-degree murder. Prosecutors also filed conspiracy charges against that group, as well as Tammy Machado, Cutright, and Botelho.

Authorities arrested Cutright, the owner of Blackstar Fireworks, at Walt Disney World in Florida. Blackstar operated the warehouse where the explosion occurred.

Chee is the owner of San Francisco-based Devastating Pyrotechnics, the company whose illegal fireworks were stored at the site, authorities said.

Lee served as the company's longtime operations manager, while Chan is listed on Devastating Pyrotechnics's federal license. Botelho was an employee of Cutright.

Featured

article

PHOTOS: A closer look at the Devastating Pyrotechnics fireworks storage facility in Esparto

Here is a closer look at the fireworks storage facility, owned by a company called Devastating Pyrotechnics, that exploded in Yolo County.

Sheriff’s office connections

Dig deeper:

The property was owned by Samuel Machado, a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, and his wife, Tammy Machado, who worked in the sheriff's office's legal department.

The victims of the deadly explosion were Carlos Rodriguez Mora, 43, of San Andreas; Neil Li, 41, of San Francisco; Angel Voller, 18, of Stockton; Christopher Bocog, 45, of San Francisco; Jesus Ramos, of San Pablo; Jhony Ramos, 22, of San Pabl and Joel Melendez, 28, of Sacramento

The explosion triggered a massive blaze that ignited several spot fires and leveled a building. Esparto is located about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Kenneth Chee was arrested in Florida at Walt Disney World on Thursday in connection with the case.

Grand jury finds 'conflict of interest’

What they're saying:

A scathing report released in March by the Yolo County Civil Grand Jury found that the county’s Building Services Department received a tip in June 2022 that the warehouse in Esparto contained illegal fireworks.

According to the report, building officials intended to inspect the site, but internal emails suggested they would "tread lightly" as the property was owned by sheriff’s deputies.

The report noted significant conflicts of interest involving Chee and the Machados. Tammy Machado's sister, Rieko Matsumura, was also a deputy in Esparto; Matsumura was on disability leave at the time of the explosion and retired in September 2025.

Following the initial 2022 inspection, the county took no enforcement actions and issued no citations.