Jan. 23—The Butte County Sheriff’s Office said a 37-year-old Forbestown man was arrested this week for allegedly assaulting and murdering his grandmother.

According to officials, a call was received at about 6 a.m. on Sunday from 37-year-old Kenneth Lewis of Forbestown regarding his grandmother who was reported to be deceased inside a residence in the 19000 block of New York Flat Road in Forbestown.

When CAL FIRE personnel arrived at the scene, Lewis was allegedly armed with a knife, the sheriff’s office said. Because Lewis reportedly had a weapon, CAL FIRE personnel requested assistance from the Butte County Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said once deputies arrived at the residence, Lewis was disarmed and was “safely detained” by deputies and arrested for a probation violation.

Following that interaction, deputies then “located a crime scene and a deceased victim,” the sheriff’s office said. That victim was identified as 80-year-old Violet Macgregor of Forbestown, Lewis’ grandmother.

After obtaining a search warrant for the residence and processing the crime scene for evidence with help from the Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services, detectives had “cause to believe Macgregor was physically assaulted and murdered by Lewis,” the sheriff’s office said.

As a result of the investigation, Lewis was arrested for an “open count of murder” and booked into Butte County Jail. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Butte County Sheriff’s Office Felony Investigations Unit at 530-538-7671.