Ex-Yolo lieutenant charged in Esparto blast remains jailed after bail ruling
A judge ordered former Yolo County Sheriff’s Lt. Sam Machado held on $1.5 million bail Monday on murder and other charges connected to the fireworks warehouse explosion on his Esparto property that killed seven people last July.
“There are a couple of big unknowns ... but it’s important to consider the gravity of the alleged offenses,” Yolo Superior Court Judge Daniel Maguire said from the bench Monday while setting bail at $1.5 million. Maguire said the bail is “attainable, but represents a significant amount.”
Maguire set a bail hearing for Wednesday in Yolo Superior Court to determine whether any money used for bail was illegally obtained.
Machado, 45, remains in custody on 26 charges, including seven counts of murder and multiple charges involving the possession of explosive or destructive devices. The former sheriff’s lieutenant, who once worked for the neighboring Madison Fire Protection District, resigned in March.
He pled not guilty during his arraignment with several other defendants in April.
Yolo County prosecutors had asked that Machado be held on $7 million bail — $1 million for each of the seven victims of the July 1, 2025, blast at Devastating Pyrotechnics.
But defense attorney David Fischer argued that “even if we take every penny from (Machado),” he would be unable to come up with the money needed for bail or the collateral a bail agent would need to secure the bond.
Machado’s property — a 32-acre site where the explosion occurred — was rendered useless in the blast, Fischer said. It is unknown whether the land could be pledged to a bail agent as collateral, he said.
Earlier in court, Maguire said he would issue a written ruling within the next two weeks on a prosecution request for a gag order that would restrict attorneys from publicly discussing the case. Prosecutors argue the order is needed to protect the jury pool, while defense attorneys contend the request is unsupported and unnecessary.
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