A former college professor was indicted by a grand jury after starting multiple wildfires in California, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, was indicted on four counts of arson and will serve up to 20 years in prison, according to the DOJ. Maynard faces a $250,000 fine for each count of arson.
Maynard’s alleged arson began in July and August when fire crews fought the Dixie Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 structures and was the second largest wildfire in California’s history, Fox News reported.
Federal prosecutors allege Maynard set four fires: the Cascade and Everitt fires in July and the Ranch and Conard Fires in early August. Court documents state that after an investigator began tracking Maynard’s black Kia Soul, they tracked his movement around the area where the Ranch and Conard fires began, according to Fox News. (RELATED: Raging Wildfire Rips Through Small California Town, Leaving Much Of It In Ashes)
TOPSHOT – A home burns during the Bear fire, part of the North Lightning Complex fires in the Berry Creek area of unincorporated Butte County, California on September 9, 2020. – Dangerous dry winds whipped up California’s record-breaking wildfires and ignited new blazes, as hundreds were evacuated by helicopter and tens of thousands were plunged into darkness by power outages across the western United States. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“It appeared that Maynard was in the midst of an arson-setting spree,” court papers said.
Court documents fail to address a clear motive as Maynard, who was arrested in August, denied beginning any of the alleged blazes to investgiators, NBC News reported.
Maynard was previously an adjunct faculty member and lecturer at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University, respectively, according to NBC News. Court documents say Maynard was living in his car during the alleged arson.
Maynard is currently in custody pending his trial, according to Fox News.