Current:Home > ScamsFormer professor pleads guilty to setting blazes behind massive 2021 Dixie Fire-LoTradeCoin
Former professor pleads guilty to setting blazes behind massive 2021 Dixie Fire
View Date:2024-12-23 21:04:45
SALINAS, Calif. — A former criminal justice professor has pleaded guilty to intentionally setting fires behind firefighters who were battling the Dixie Fire, which broke out in 2021 and became the second-largest fire in California history.
Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, California, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to three counts of arson on federal government property, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento. Maynard admitted to setting blazes behind firefighters who were battling the Dixie Fire, "effectively surrounding these firefighters," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The Dixie Fire went on to burn through five North State counties, including Shasta, as it consumed 963,309 acres, destroyed 1,311 structures, and killed one person, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The Dixie Fire itself was caused when Pacific Gas and Electric Company power lines came in contact with a nearby pine tree, igniting the blaze, according to Cal Fire.
Tire tracks helped investigators in the case
He taught at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University, where Gary Maynard was listed as a lecturer in criminal justice studies specializing in criminal justice, cults, and deviant behavior. He is no longer with either school, according to The Associated Press.
U.S. Forest Service agents began investigating Maynard on July 20 after the Cascade Fire was reported on the western slopes of Mount Shasta.
An investigator found Maynard underneath his black Kia Soul which had its front wheels stuck in a ditch and its undercarriage centered on a boulder, according to court records cited by AP.
A second fire erupted the next day on Mount Shasta, and investigators later found tire tracks similar to those made by the Kia, AP added.
Investigators eventually placed a tracking device under Maynard’s car after he was stopped briefly by police on Aug. 3. Tracking his movements for hundreds of miles, investigators said Maynard traveled to the area where the Ranch and Conard Fires erupted in the Lassen National Forest, where the Dixie Fire was also burning at the time.
Maynard's sentencing is set for May 9 by U.S. District Judge Daniel Calabretta. Maynard faces up to 20 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines for each of the fires he pleaded guilty to setting, officials said. However, a judge will have the final say over Maynard's prison time and fines.
As part of his plea, Maynard also agreed Thursday to pay up to $500,000 in restitution to the federal government.
veryGood! (476)
Related
- Jimmy Kimmel, more late-night hosts 'shocked' by Trump Cabinet picks: 'Goblins and weirdos'
- Sister Wives' Maddie Brown Brush Honors Beautiful Brother Garrison Brown After His Death
- Man bitten by a crocodile after falling off his boat at a Florida Everglades marina
- Boxing icon Muhammad Ali to be inducted into 2024 WWE Hall of Fame? Here's why.
- Cavaliers' Darius Garland rediscovers joy for basketball under new coach
- Nigeria police say 15 school children were kidnapped, days after armed gunmen abducted nearly 300
- US, Canada and indigenous groups announce proposal to address cross-border mining pollution
- Angela Chao, shipping industry exec, died on Texas ranch after her car went into a pond, report says
- Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?
- Plane crash in remote central Oregon leaves ‘no survivors,’ authorities say
Ranking
- Martin Scorsese on faith in filmmaking, ‘The Saints’ and what his next movie might be
- Kirk Cousins is the NFL's deal-making master. But will he pay off for Falcons in playoffs?
- Buffalo Wild Wings 'beat the buffalo' challenge among free wings, deals for March Madness
- Christian Wilkins, Raiders agree to terms on four-year, $110 million contract
- 4 arrested in California car insurance scam: 'Clearly a human in a bear suit'
- Una inundación catastrófica en la costa central de California profundizó la crisis de los ya marginados trabajadores agrícolas indígenas
- Why AP isn’t using ‘presumptive nominee’ to describe Trump or Biden
- What is the most Oscars won by a single movie?
Recommendation
-
Report: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence could miss rest of season with shoulder injury
-
Court upholds town bylaw banning anyone born in 21st century from buying tobacco products
-
Eva Longoria Reveals Her Unexpected Pre-Oscars Meal
-
Confidentiality pact deepens mystery of how bakery clause got into California minimum wage law
-
High-scoring night in NBA: Giannis Antetokounmpo explodes for 59, Victor Wembanyama for 50
-
Utah State coach Kayla Ard announces her firing in postgame news conference
-
Kim Mulkey crossed line with comments on LSU, South Carolina players fighting
-
Trader Joe's $2.99 mini tote bags now sell for $500 on eBay