When Arizona Vineyards burned to the ground the night of June 4, 2009, the owner and family members pointed to a former tenant of the neighboring apartments. But on Feb. 2, 2010, a jury found Alfonso Obregon, 43, of Nogales, not guilty of arson of an occupied structure and aggravated criminal damage.

Tino Ocheltree (right), owner of Arizona Vineyards, and his stepson David Celaya go through the rubble that was left after the historic winery at 1830 E. Patagonia Highway burned to the ground June 4, 2009. File photo / Denise Holley

“It was a very difficult case to prove,” said Santa Cruz County Attorney George Silva. “We had circumstantial evidence linking him to the arson, but no one could really tell us they saw him at the scene.”

Tino Ocheltree, owner of the historic winery at 1830 E. Patagonia Highway, had alleged that Obregon showed up on his bicycle, sloshed gasoline around the building and lit a match. A few tenants in the apartments he owns nearby were preparing for a baby shower and recognized the man, he said.

Investigators discovered a bicycle and a backpack that belonged to Obregon at the scene, Silva said. “It looked like someone had fallen into a cactus and he had injuries consistent with that.”

The trial began Jan. 27 in Santa Cruz County Superior Court with Judge Anna Montoya-Paez presiding. On the fourth day, the jury found Obregon not guilty on both counts and he was released from custody, according to the court file.

Obregon had been held for eight months because he could not raise the $200,000 bail.

“I respect the (jury’s) decision,” Silva said. “It’s about justice.”

At the time of the fire, more than a year had passed since Obregon had lived next to the winery, said Charles Thomas, Obregon’s court-appointed attorney. “He had no issues with Mr. Ocheltree.”

Thomas described the fire as “a great loss to the owner and the community. We’re just glad Mr. Obregon has been found not guilty and he’s back with his family,” he said.

Ocheltree counted his losses at $2 million, including artwork, he told the Nogales International last June. He did not have insurance on the building.

“We were a rural, traditional 19th-century winery-museum” once featured in USA Today, Ocheltree said about Arizona Vineyards.