On Monday, June 26th, 2023, Investigators with the Pamlico County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jesse Ryan Cahoon 41, of Oriental in connection with the fire that occurred on June 12, 2023, at Fulcher’s Red Fox Stables in Merritt, North Carolina. The fire resulted in one person’s death, Samuel Valadez-Galdeano, 55 of Merritt, North Carolina. The fire also resulted in the death of one horse and one donkey.
Investigators have charged Cahoon with an open count of murder, one count of First Degree Arson, and two counts of Felony Cruelty to animals. Cahoon will have a first appearance in Pamlico County District Court Wednesday, June 28, 2023, and is currently being held in the Pamlico County Detention Center under no bond.
