Mother accused of binding child, setting home on fire appears in court

VENTURA, Calif. - A Santa Paula woman who police say placed a plastic bag over her 3-year-old son's head and then set their home on fire has been officially charged with felony crimes.

Maricela Magana Ruiz, 47, of Santa Paula appeared in Ventura County Superior Court Wednesday and was charged with arson of an inhabited structure and child abuse in connection to the weekend fire.

On Sunday at around 6:10 p.m., officers from Santa Paula Police Department and members of the Ventura County Fire Department responded to a report of a structure fire at Bahia Circle in Santa Paula.

When arriving on scene, fire personnel located two victims, a woman who was tied to a bed and a young boy in bound another part of the home. Ruiz was identified as the woman tied to the bed and the boy was identified as her son.

Ventura County District Attorney's Office said Ruiz faces up to nine years and four months in prison if convicted. She is currently being held on $500,000 bail.