Kenneth Chee was taken into custody in Florida as prosecutors widened a criminal case over the 2025 Esparto fireworks explosion.
ORLANDO, FL — A fireworks company executive was arrested at Walt Disney World as California prosecutors pressed murder charges in a warehouse explosion that killed seven people last summer in rural Yolo County, tying a high profile tourist destination to one of the state’s deadliest industrial blast investigations in recent years.
Kenneth Chee, the owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, was arrested Thursday on a fugitive warrant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, according to Florida jail and court records described by local news outlets and California prosecutors. The arrest came one day after a Yolo County grand jury indictment was unsealed in a sweeping case that accuses eight people of running or supporting an illegal fireworks and explosives operation near Esparto. Five of those defendants, including Chee, face murder charges. The case now stretches from Central Florida to Northern California as extradition, arraignments and additional investigative steps move forward.
Authorities say the criminal case centers on a July 1, 2025, explosion at a warehouse on property tied to former Yolo County sheriff’s Lt. Samuel Machado and his wife, Tammy Machado. Prosecutors said the facility was being used to store and sell fireworks and explosive material on a scale far beyond what the site was permitted to handle. At a Friday news conference, Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig said the grand jury returned indictments on April 3 and suspects were arrested at locations around the country on Thursday. In Florida, Orange County deputies took Chee into custody at 351 Studio Drive in Bay Lake, an address that matches Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Chee, 48, made an initial court appearance Friday morning. Clara Nabity, a deputy district attorney in Yolo County, said the case was not simply about consumer fireworks. “They are explosives,” she said, describing products that prosecutors argue exceeded legal limits for ordinary fireworks.
Prosecutors say the July blast killed seven people and injured two others, then touched off a 78-acre wildfire in and around the small farming community of Esparto, about 40 miles northwest of Sacramento. The dead included four workers identified by prosecutors as 18-year-old Jesus Ramos of San Pablo, his 22-year-old brother Jhony Ramos of San Pablo, 28-year-old Joel Melendez of Sacramento and 43-year-old Carlos Javier Rodriguez-Mora of San Andreas. Christopher Goltiao Bocog and Neil Li, both of San Francisco, and Angel Mathew Voller of Stockton also were killed. Residents who lived nearby later described a shock wave strong enough to fling open house doors. Nisa Gutierrez, who spoke to Sacramento television reporters after the blast, said she and her daughter felt a force so powerful that they were nearly knocked over. Investigators have said the exact sequence inside the warehouse remains part of the broader case, but prosecutors told reporters the grand jury concluded that the initial explosion caused the deaths.
The indictment lays out a much wider alleged operation than the single day of destruction suggested. Nabity said the warehouse at Machado’s property expanded from 13 fireworks storage containers in 2015 to 50 by 2025, and that more than 1 million pounds of fireworks or explosive material were at the site on the day of the blast. Prosecutors allege Samuel Machado used his position inside the sheriff’s office to help shield the enterprise from scrutiny as it grew. Machado, 45, now faces the longest list of counts in the case, including seven murder charges. Prosecutors also say the defendants operated multiple black market fireworks businesses from the Esparto site and sold products packed with more explosive material than allowed under state law. The indictment names other defendants as Jack Lee, operations manager for Devastating Pyrotechnics; Gary Chan Jr., whose name was on the company’s federal license; Douglas Michael Tollefsen, accused of storing and selling fireworks at the property; Blackstar Fireworks owner Craig Cutright; Ronald Botelho III, who has been in custody since December; and Tammy Machado, who faces charges including mortgage fraud, tax offenses, child endangerment and animal cruelty.
The arrests have sharpened questions about oversight and how such an operation could continue for years. Prosecutors said neither the company nor the property had the local permits needed to store fireworks there. They also said some of the products were so overcharged that they should be treated as explosives rather than ordinary fireworks. The broader allegations include conspiracy, illegal explosives possession, possession of assault weapons, transportation of destructive devices, insurance fraud and unlawful fire related counts. Authorities have also tied the case to federal and state licensing problems. Nabity said in a public briefing that Gary Chan held an ATF license and that Chee held Cal Fire licenses, but prosecutors contend those licenses did not authorize the importing, possessing or selling of the materials identified in the indictment. The district attorney’s office has said the investigation is still active, meaning additional people could face charges if investigators develop more evidence.
In Florida, the arrest drew attention because of where it happened. Disney World, one of the country’s busiest tourist destinations, became the site of a fugitive arrest linked to a faraway criminal case built around a warehouse in rural California. Florida coverage identified Chee as being held in the Orange County Jail, and one local report said he was being held without bond pending extradition. California officials have said he is expected to be returned to Yolo County for further proceedings. Back in California, arraignments for five defendants already booked into the Yolo County jail were scheduled for Monday afternoon, April 13. Samuel Machado was reported held in Sutter County without bail after his arrest, while Tammy Machado was released after posting bail. Cutright’s role has also drawn attention because he served as a volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire District while also being identified by prosecutors as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics. That overlap has added another layer to local concern in a town still dealing with the destruction and loss left by the explosion.
The human toll remains central in Esparto, where the blast disrupted the days before the Fourth of July and wiped out materials intended for public fireworks shows in nearby counties. After the warehouse exploded, officials in Sutter and Yuba counties said they would need alternatives for holiday celebrations because fireworks stored at the site had been destroyed. Families of the dead have spent months waiting for criminal accountability as investigators sorted through debris, licensing records and company relationships. CapRadio reported that the victims ranged in age from 18 to 45, and relatives said Jesus Ramos was on his first day on the job, working alongside his brother. That detail has lingered in local memory as the case moved from disaster response to grand jury proceedings. What remains unknown, at least publicly, is whether all defendants have retained attorneys, how each will answer the indictment in court, and whether prosecutors will add or modify counts as the case advances through arraignment, extradition and pretrial litigation.
As of Monday, Chee remained in custody in Florida while Yolo County prepared for the next round of court appearances in California. The immediate milestone is the Monday arraignment calendar and Chee’s expected transfer west, where the murder case will begin moving through the courts.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.