San Carlos Man Charged with Arson for Causing Watch Fire on San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Keanu Rudy Dude, 25, an enrolled member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and a San Carlos, Arizona resident, was arrested today on an outstanding indictment issued by a federal grand jury in Phoenix. He is charged with Arson for the July 2024 Watch Fire on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.

The Watch Fire burned over 2,000 acres of land owned by the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Twenty-one homes identified in the indictment were destroyed by the fire. Four hundred families had to be evacuated from their homes and the areas surrounding San Carlos. Dude will have his initial appearance on Monday, February 24, 2025.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The FBI’s Phoenix Field Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the San Carlos Apache Police and Fire Departments and the San Carlos Ranger and Forestry Departments conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
 

CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-1579-PHX-DJH
RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-022_Dude

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
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