Sorrento Fire arson suspect has East County ties, pleads not guilty 

By Paul Levikow

(San Diego) — A 30-year-old man accused of starting last weekend’s Sorrento Fire that burned about 138 acres in and around Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of arson yesterday, August 19, as additional details emerged about his ties to East County, including Santee and Jamul.

Brandon James Glasgo was arrested Sunday shortly after the wildfire erupted near Sorrento Valley Boulevard. Prosecutors allege he intentionally started the fire after an altercation with a bicyclist on a trail.

Photo, top: Brandon Glasgo, cropped screenshot off his social media

Glasgo was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and entered a not-guilty plea to the arson charge. His bail was set at $75,000. If released, he would be subject to GPS monitoring and prohibited from possessing incendiary devices. The charge carries a potential maximum sentence of six years in state prison.

According to Deputy District Attorney Jacob Carbajal, Glasgo told police he became angry following an encounter with a bicyclist and set fire to a large tumbleweed. Prosecutors allege he later acknowledged starting the fire and identified its origin when shown a map by investigators. Carbajal said the location Glasgo identified matched investigators’ determination of where the blaze began.

Authorities said a resident reported seeing Glasgo emerge from an open, brushy area in the 10800 block of Vista Sorrento Parkway as the fire spread Sunday. Firefighters stopped the forward movement of the blaze at approximately 138 acres after more than five hours. No injuries or structural damage were reported.

The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department reported Tuesday that the fire was 75% contained, with crews continuing to build a fire line and mop up hot spots.

Glasgo’s has a connection to East County. His public Facebook profile identifies him as a former student of Santana High School in Santee and lists him as a former poker dealer at Jamul Casino Resort. Those details are independently supported by school athletic records. MaxPreps’ all-time Santana High School football roster lists a Brandon Glasgo as a junior in the 2012-13 season and as a senior in 2013-14. Track-and-field records also identify Brandon Glasgo competing for Santana in 2012, including long jump and triple jump.

The available records indicate Glasgo graduated from Santana the mid-2010s. A recent social-media post referring to the case also identified him as a 2014 Santana High graduate, although East County Magazine has not independently verified the graduation year through school records.

Glasgo also has a professional connection to Jamul. His Facebook profile lists him as a former poker dealer at Jamul Casino Resort. PokerNews reported that Glasgo worked as a poker dealer at Jamul Casino Resort, describing his employment there as occurring from 2019 to 2020. Gambling911 likewise reported that he had worked as a poker dealer at the Jamul casino during that period.

He has an extensive arrest record, including pleading guilty to resisting an officer, 10 News reports. Last fall, he was charged with threatening public employees, battery, obstruction and causing injury to an elder or dependent adult, as well as resisting the officer.  Court records indicate he previously was arrested for charges including petty theft, trespassing, and vandalism.

His father sought a restraining order against Glasgo and has since said Glasgo is mentally ill and homeless, NBC 7 reports.

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