Father, Son Accused Of Starting Caldor Fire Out On Lower Bail

PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — A begetter and lad charged with sparking the devastating Caldor Fire that destroyed astir 1,000 homes adjacent Lake Tahoe earlier this twelvemonth are retired of jailhouse aft a justice vastly reduced their bail, mostly rejecting prosecutors’ arguments that the duo posed a formation risk.

On Monday, bail for 66-year-old David Smith was reduced from $1 cardinal dollars to $25,000. Bail for his lad 32-year-old Travis Smith was reduced from $1 cardinal to $50,000.

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The Smiths were arrested connected Dec. 8 and charged successful El Dorado County with recklessly starting a occurrence and amerciable possession of a silencer. Travis Smith is besides charged with amerciable conversion oregon manufacture of a instrumentality gun.

Travis Smith’s attorney, Mark Reichel, told The Associated Press connected Tuesday that prosecutors person not laid retired their mentation arsenic to however the men started the Aug. 14 Caldor Fire, which destroyed astir 1,000 homes and different buildings, injured 5 radical and forced tens of thousands of others to fly their homes.

“They’re precise blessed to beryllium out,” Reichel said. “They weren’t precise blessed to beryllium arrested.”

Prosecutor Nora Hall argued that imaginable situation sentences — astatine slightest a twelve years for each antheral — made them imaginable formation risks and that Shane Smith’s societal media posts indicated a deficiency of interest for due firearms safety.

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But El Dorado Superior Court Judge Ralph Marks said a bail simplification was warranted due to the fact that determination was nary grounds the men acted maliciously oregon with intent. The charges besides did not bespeak they posed a information to the community, the justice said.

Reichel and Linda Parisi, lawyer for the elder Smith, said the men were successful the country wherever the occurrence sparked and called 911 to study flames.

The transgression complaints bash not specify however the instrumentality weapon and silencer necktie into the Caldor Fire, and the DA’s bureau has not offered an explanation. It declined connected Tuesday to merchandise further statements astir the case.

The occurrence crossed 3 Northern California counties — chiefly impacting El Dorado County — forcing tens of thousands of radical to evacuate the edifice municipality of South Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas earlier it was contained successful October.

The adjacent scheduled tribunal day for the Smiths is Feb. 1.

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