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Murder Arrest Made In Death Of Colusa County Man In July

COLUSA COUNTY (CBS13) -- Nearly five months after an electrical explosion killed a Colusa County farmworker, sheriff's detectives arrested a man for the murder on Tuesday.

Assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Butte County Sheriff's Office, the Colusa County Sheriff's Office served a search warrant at the home of Paul Moore on Poundstone Street in Grimes on Tuesday at about 8 a.m.

The purpose of the search was to look for evidence in the homicide of Roberto Ayala, which occurred on July 16, according to Lt. Shane Maxey, who said evidence was found at the home to go along with evidence already called in the case that implicated Moore.

Moore, 47, was then arrested and booked at the Colusa County Jail on charges of murder.

Ayala died after he turned on an irrigation pump at a rice field in Colusa County. Information later obtained from PG&E indicated the explosion wasn't merely a tragic accident.

Ayala's 7-year-old son was with him when the explosion occurred and he ran about 2 miles through farmland to seek help for his father, who died at the scene.

Sheriff's detectives have refused to speculate on a motive.

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