Felon accused of starting fire in Menifee to stand trial

MURRIETA (CNS) - A convicted felon accused of igniting a fire that killed two animals in a Menifee home, then fleeing to Arizona, must stand trial for arson and other charges, a judge ruled today. Sean Joshua Halas, 53, of Menifee was arrested in July and extradited back to California. Following a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the arson count, as well as possession of an incendiary device for the purpose of arson and two counts of animal cruelty. The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Oct. 20 and left Halas held on $5 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta. According to prosecutors, on the morning of J