A 42-year-old man is in Gunnison County Sheriff’s Office custody on charges of arson and methamphetamine possession. The county detention facility roster shows that Salvador Aguilar Bonifacio is being jailed on an “ICE hold.” Such holds allow the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to take custody of an inmate for removal purposes after they have completed their jail sentence.
According to court records, Aguilar has a history of starting fires in public bathrooms at Gunnison parks, and has also been suspected in separate incidents of arson at a Gunnison laundromat and a Gunnison apartment complex. He has been involved in nine Gunnison County court cases since 2022 on charges related to drugs, trespassing, and violating protection orders.
Aguilar’s most recent arrest was on May 19, 2025, when Gunnison Police Department officers responded to Gunnison’s Jorgensen Park. Parks staff called police because a bathroom door was locked, and they believed the man inside to be the person responsible for damage to city bathrooms on several occasions.
At the scene, police officers noticed a burning odor. Once they opened the bathroom door, they saw burned items, burn marks on the floor, and recognized the man standing inside as Aguilar, according to the affidavit for arrest. The affidavit states that Aguilar’s hands “were extremely dirty and covered in soot.” Police reported that they found nine lighters in Aguilar’s pocket and a pipe likely used to smoke meth in the bathroom.
Following the arrest, City Parks and Recreation staff told Gunnison Police that they had encountered Aguilar “multiple times” at City facilities and that “each time Aguilar Bonifacio had caused damage to facilities.” The damage caused by the May 19 incident was estimated to “cost $2,000-$5,000 in repairs,” City staff told police, and there was concern for workers because of the exposure to smoke and drug use.
The affidavit for the May 19 arrest concludes, “This pattern of behavior poses a great risk to the people and property of Gunnison. Aguilar Bonifacio’s behavior and actions will continue if he is released to the public.”
The May 19 arrest was the third time this year that Gunnison Police had arrested Aguilar. On January 12, 2025 they arrested him for alleged arson at a Gunnison apartment complex. Two days later, they arrested him again for arson — as well as for possession and consumption of meth — at a Gunnison laundromat.
At the time of his May 19 release, court records show that Aguilar was free on bond for the January 12 and 14 arrest charges after posting bonds totaling $6,500.