SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The owner of Rollin Roots, a once-popular food truck in San Diego, is facing allegations of setting his own food truck on fire in during the pandemic.
Court documents show that prosecutors think the owner, Avonte Hartsfield, committed arson in October 2021 and took money from insurance companies and even donors under false claims.
"We're going to try and rebuild, but right now, I'm just waiting to hear back from the police about what's going on," said Hartsfield.
That's what Hartsfield told ABC 10News weeks after he claimed his food truck caught on fire.
The business owner then posted a GoFundMe that raised more than $100,000. He claimed the series of events were hate crimes.
He then backtracked in March of 2022 in an update on the page. He said it was actually an "electrical mishap."
Prosecutors said he's the one who sparked the fire and still took money from Gofundme donors and insurers.
He pled not guilty to five felony charges.
I grew up knowing what it was like to feel hunger and not being able to know where your next meal is coming from,"
Before the criminal allegations, Hartsfield's business grew in popularity in San Diego, and he was working to help others in the food industry.
His recent Instagram posts show he has since moved out of the San Diego area.
ABC 10news reached out to Hartsfield for his side of the story but hasn't heard back.
