Authorities arrested Mount Shasta Fire captain Jasen Vela this week on felony charges related to his time as Montague’s fire chief.
The Siskiyou County district attorney’s office alleges Vela embezzled more than $100,000 from Montague and the city’s volunteer fire department association between 2016 and 2024.
Montague mayor and assistant fire chief Takeshi Murakami removed three members of the fire department, including Vela, in 2024 due to undisclosed allegations. Those removals stirred controversy in the small community, prompting a failed recall effort against Murakami.
In an October 2024 city council meeting, Murakami said he was told to freeze the business accounts for the Montague Fire Association.
After his dismissal, Vela found work at the Mount Shasta Fire Department. City manager Todd Juhasz said he had heard rumors about Vela misappropriating funds in Montague but that nothing was substantiated. The rural fire department is also desperate to attract experienced firefighters.
Juhasz said the city was not given advance warning of Vela’s arrest. Vela is currently on unpaid administrative leave.
The Montague Fire Department serves around 1,200 residents in rural Siskiyou County. During Vela’s tenure the station acquired a tanker truck and three fire engines.
The complaint alleges several aggravating factors, including Vela inducing others to participate in a crime and taking advantage of a position of trust to commit offenses. The filing claims Vela will be a danger to others if not imprisoned.
He faces up to seven years if convicted.
