Suspects In Caldor Fire Enter Not Guilty Pleas In First Court Appearance

2 years ago 377

EL DORADO COUNTY (CBS) -Two men, accused of starting the Caldor Fire earlier this year, appeared via video successful an El Dorado County courtroom contiguous for an arraignment hearing.

On Wednesday, the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office announced that begetter and lad David Scott Smith, 66, and Travis Shane Smith, 32, are nether apprehension connected charges of reckless arson successful transportation with the fire, which burned much than 200,000 acres successful El Dorado and Amador Counties.

Friday, the begetter and lad appeared from El Dorado County Jail successful Placerville done video and entered Not Guilty pleas. They’re being held connected $1 cardinal bail each, and are expected to beryllium backmost successful tribunal connected Monday for a bail hearing.

Linda Parisi, an lawyer representing David Smith, reiterated to CBS13 that her client, arsenic good arsenic his lad Travis, are some innocent.

“Because they’re the ones who called it in. I’m definite there’s a important magnitude of unit to place someone, but that’s not the occupation of the transgression justness strategy to conscionable place someone,” said Parisi.

She said some Smiths continued to spell to enactment and person cooperated with instrumentality enforcement since they were archetypal contacted. She said during the Caldor Fire the household evacuated, but their location was not damaged.

The 2 men are accused of violating conception 452 of the California Penal Code, commonly referred to arsenic “reckless arson,” which caused inhabited properties to pain and resulted successful large bodily wounded to aggregate victims. Unlike malicious arson, a reckless arson complaint tin beryllium filed against idiosyncratic who sets a occurrence without intending to.

Parisi added that she “did not know” wherefore her lawsuit would beryllium facing firearms charges and that she expects to person discovery, besides known arsenic evidence, from the prosecution arsenic aboriginal arsenic Friday.

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The occurrence started connected the evening of August 14, 2021, and was progressive for 67 days. It was announced contained connected October 21, but not earlier it burned 221,835 acres, including astir the full assemblage of Grizzly Flats. The occurrence burned much than 1,000 structures and 5 radical were injured.