![]() ![]() She covers science, arts, social issues and entertainment stories. Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. A conviction is a felony punishable by a sentence of up to 9 years in jail or state prison. conservation effort: Advocates worry about who could be left out Under California Penal Code 451 PC, a person is guilty of arson when he or she willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned or who aids, counsels, or procures the burning of, any structure, forest land, or property. This summer, a criminology professor was among several people whom officials accused of arson in a series of incidents across Northern California. ![]() At the time, he faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. A former professor specializing in cults has been arrested after he went on an arson-setting spree in a forest near California’s record-setting Dixie Fire, authorities said. Smith pleaded guilty on to charges of being a serial arsonist, according to the U.S. Law enforcement arrested Smith late in July 2020, "following an extensive investigation" during which "agents installed a tracking device on his vehicle to monitor his movements" for days, Talbert said. "One of the fires set by Smith in July 2020 burned so close to Interstate 5 near Turntable Bay Road that first responders closed a portion of the highway to prevent the blaze from burning numerous vehicles and residences on the other side of the interstate." "Many of the fires Smith admitted to setting began in the early morning hours of the day, making detection and firefighting by authorities potentially more challenging," Talbert said. There are two California statutes pertaining to arson. On July 8, 2023, a vigilant Vallejo citizen observed a man deliberately starting a vegetation fire with a flare near the intersection of Admiral Callaghan Lane and Turner. Smith also admitted he abandoned at least 11 campfires on national forest land during the same period, Talbert reported. Live updates: Police seek motive for Michigan State University shooting 3 dead Firefighters responded to alarms last night. He used "virtually undetectable ignition sources" including cigarette lighters and handheld torches to start wildfires in remote areas, Talbert said in press release issued Monday afternoon. Fire Department investigators are looking for someone who attempted to start a fire inside City Hall Saturday night. Smith set at least 11 fires on national forest land between June 2019 and July 2020, according to court documents, Talbert said. Under California Penal Code 451 PC, a person is guilty of arson when he or she willfully and maliciously sets fire to or burns or causes to be burned or. He was also ordered to pay $19,071 in restitution to the U.S. ![]() Attorney Phillip Talbert.Įric Michael Smith, 41, of Redding, California, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for serial arson, Talbert said. “He was always one of the first true believers to glom onto whatever conspiracy theory was new and sexy that month.REDDING, Calif. – A northern California man was sentenced on Monday for setting 11 fires in the state's Shasta-Trinity National Forest in one year, according to U.S. “The guy was like a canary in a coal mine,” MacNab tweeted. Clark’s Facebook activity, she says, suggests he “believes in just about every kooky conspiracy out there, including QAnon, Pizzagate, Jade Helm 15, flat earth theories, NESARA, Jesuit conservancies, shape-shifting lizard overlords.” JJ MacNab, a writer who focuses on anti-government extremism, gave Clark’s eight years of social media history a thorough review and discovered that he’d been active in the “sovereign citizen” movement since at least 2010, and was a member of an alternative-government group called the Republic of the united States of America (RuSA), which believes that the country has been under the control of an imposter government since 1871. However, Clark’s biggest beef may be with, well, reality. Edward Fredrick Wackerman of Mariposa, California, faces felony charges including aggravated arson for the fire that burned 19,244 acres and destroyed 127. The newspaper’s review of court records revealed that a man with his same name and birthday was held involuntarily at a mental health treatment center in 1996, and in 2012, Clark’s mother was granted a temporary restraining order against her son, about whom she alleged, “There is no peace in my home when he is here.” According to the Orange County Register, Clark has accused Milligan running drugs, claimed he could read minds, and in an encounter with police before his arrest, stripped off all his clothing. Milligan said that last week, Clark ran through the Holy Jim community screaming, and has a long history of feuds with his neighbors and local authorities. ![]()
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