SBSD #Dorner Incident News: #LAPD will pay $1.2M reward

Dorner case: Beck says LAPD wants $1.2M reward paid, will make re-investigation public

The $1.2 million reward offered for Christopher Dorner's capture should be paid out despite his death, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said this morning.

The public called in more than 1,000 tips to a police hotline, most of them after the reward was offered.

"It had its desired effect. It should be paid out," the chief said during a press conference at LAPD headquarters downtown.

He said department officials will meet with people involved and make sure the money is fairly distributed. But Beck said he doesn't know how long that will take.

The task is complicated by the number of governments and private citizens who contributed to the reward fund. Some municipalities have limitations on such reward payments.

Beck also said 

• an internal reinvestigation of the Dorner case will be made public within a few months.
• LAPD will address the Dorner case and issues raised in his manifesto with "transparency."
• LAPD needs to protect hard-earned improvements in its public reputation and relationship with minorities.

Dorner, a former LAPD officer who was fired in 2009 for making false allegations against another officer, threatened to kill LAPD officers and their families in an online rant.

Dorner, who was black, wrote that the department is beset by racial problems and has not changed since the Rodney King and Rampart scandals.

Beck said he does not believe that, but that the LAPD needs to reassure the people it protects.

"We are only as good as the public thinks we are," He added, "If we don't have public confidence, I can't provide public safety." - Beck said.

In his 11,000-word post, Dorner threatened to kill police officers and their families. He wrote that the killing would stop only when his name was publicly cleared by the LAPD
.
He did not kill any LAPD officers, but police said he opened fire at two and later killed a Riverside police officer and a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy.

He died in an apparent suicide after a final standoff with San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies on Feb. 12. 

His charred body was found in a cabin in the San Bernardino Mountains after police fired tear gas into the home, sparking a fire.

CaLaw: Dorner Shootout The Day After In Pictures

 #Dorner Manhunt Pictures

© 2013 Imgur, LLC.

Dorner Manhunt Pictures

Law enforcement authorities investigate the burned-out cabin Wednesday, where accused quadruple murder suspect Christopher Dorner was believed to have died after police barricading him inside, during Tuesday stand-off with police in the Angeles Oaks area of Big Bear.
By Stun https://twitter.com/57UN
Source: http://imgur.com/a/bDrQZ

CFN - California Fire News 2012 

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#SBSD OFFICIAL UPDATE:- San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Headquarters #Dorner

DATE/TIME Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. INCIDENT: Search for Murder Suspect/Officer Involved Shooting 
LOCATION: Big Bear Valley
SUSPECT: Christopher Jordan Dorner, 33 years of age – 6’0”, 270 lbs, blk hair, brn eyes

SUMMARY:
UPDATE:
During a press conference earlier today, Sheriff John McMahon released the name of Detective Jeremiah MacKay, who was killed in the line of duty on Tuesday, February 12, 2013. Detective MacKay was 35 years old and a 15 year veteran of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff McMahon also released the name of Deputy Alexander Collins, a 5 year veteran who sustained serious injuries during the ambush that occurred in Angelus Oaks.

The investigation is ongoing.

Sheriff John McMahon would like to thank our fellow law enforcement agencies and the community for their heartfelt condolences and support during this very difficult time.

********
UPDATE: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 – 11:00 p.m.
Investigators have located charred human remains within the debris of the burned out cabin. Identification will be attempted through forensic means.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 12:22 p.m, deputies working the Big Bear area search for Christopher Dorner responded to the 1200 block of Club View Dr. for a reported stolen vehicle. The reporting party said the suspect took their vehicle and described the suspect as looking very similar to Dorner. Deputies immediately began a search on the ground and from the air for the vehicle.
The vehicle was located at Hwy 38 and Glass Rd.

The suspect fled into the forest and barricaded himself inside a cabin. A short time later there was an exchange of gunfire between law enforcement and the suspect. Two San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies were injured during the gunfire and taken to the Loma Linda Hospital. 

At approximately 2:24 p.m., one of the deputies was pronounced deceased. The deputy wounded in today’s incident has undergone surgery and medical personnel are optimistic as to his recovery. However, it is believed several additional surgeries will be required.

A fire erupted in the cabin in which the suspect had barricaded himself. The cabin remains unsafe for investigators to enter and it is unknown when the structure will be deemed safe. It is believed the suspect is inside the cabin. Homicide investigators have responded and are conducting an investigation.

A press conference is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. at Sheriff’s Headquarters located at 655 E. Third Street in San Bernardino.

********************
UPDATE: Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 8:15 a.m.
The search for Christopher Dorner continues this morning in the Big Bear Valley. Thirty law enforcement personnel are continuing to search for Christopher Dorner and provide additional patrol to the residents of the Big Bear Valley. They are continuing to search vacation homes and Government lease cabins that are in an even more remote area. Aerial support is readily available if needed. There have been no sightings of Dorner in the Big Bear area.

“The search for Christopher Dorner will continue until he has been apprehended or it has been determined that he is no longer on the mountain,” stated Sheriff John McMahon.

UPDATE: Monday, February 11, 2013 5:30 p.m.
The search for Christopher Dorner will continue throughout the night. Thirty law enforcement personnel are continuing to search for Christopher Dorner and provide additional patrol to the residents of the Big Bear Valley. They are continuing to search vacation homes and Government lease cabins that are in an even more remote area. Aerial support is readily available if needed. There have been no sightings of Dorner in the Big Bear area.

The search will continue Tuesday morning with the same amount of personnel as stated above.

“The search for Christopher Dorner will continue until he has been apprehended or it has been determined that he is no longer on the mountain,” stated Sheriff John McMahon.
************************
UPDATE: Monday, February 11, 2013 7:50 a.m.
The search continues this morning for Christopher Dorner. Thirty law enforcement personnel are continuing to search for Christopher Dorner and provide additional patrol to the residents of the Big Bear Valley. They are continuing to search vacation homes and Government lease cabins that are in an even more remote area. Aerial support is readily available if needed. There have been no sightings of Dorner in the Big Bear area.

*****************************
UPDATE – Sunday, February 10, 2013 9:00 a.m.
The search continues to locate Christopher Dorner in the Big Bear area with approximately 25 officers on the ground and a helicopter providing aerial support. As the number of cabins, rentals and unoccupied/vacation homes diminishes, the amount of personnel and resources needed has been scaled back accordingly. Although there have been no reported sightings and officers have found no new evidence that points to a location in the Big Bear area, the Sheriff's Department remains committed to the public's safety.

UPDATE – Saturday, February 09, 2013 1:30 p.m.
The search continued this morning at 7:00 a.m. in the Big Bear area. There are approximately 50 law enforcement officers searching the forest area and doing additional door to door checks. There are several additional patrol units throughout the Big Bear Lake community. Two helicopters are assisting in the search efforts.
The search is expected to continue until nightfall and resume again in the morning, if necessary.
There is no additional information available and updates will be released as new information is received.

UPDATE – Friday, February 8, 2013, 5:07 p.m.
The ground search will be suspended overnight. Deputies who have been participating in the ground search will be coming off of the mountain following sundown. In addition to the patrol deputies assigned to the Big Bear Station there will be additional 12 – two man units. Citizens are urged to immediately call 911 if they see anything suspicious. Residents are advised to open their doors only to those they know, or uniformed law enforcement officers.


Due to the weather, the aerial search will remain grounded throughout the night

The ground search will resume Saturday morning at approximately 7:00 a.m. Search personnel will again utilize the snow cat and the armored personnel carrier to transport them into mountain areas where they will continue searching the forest.

***Media note*** There will not be a Sheriff’s PIO at the command post throughout the night. If there is any change in the search for Christopher Dorner the media will be advised by the Sheriff’s Department Public Affairs Division and a PIO will respond to the command post if needed.

***********************
UPDATE – Friday, February 8, 2013, at 1:0 p.m.
The search continues in the Big Bear Valley for suspect, Christopher Dorner. Law Enforcement personnel from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Riverside Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, FBI, Irvine Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Pomona Police Department, US Forest Service and CalFire are continuing to search the forest area consisting of 8 square miles in an effort to find Dorner. Search personnel are utilizing a Snowcat and an armored personnel carrier equipped with snow chains to transport them into the mountain areas where they are searching approximately 200 vacant cabins. Search dogs continue to be utilized today; the dogs are trained and capable of searching in the snow. The aerial search has been suspended due to the weather conditions.

Additional deputies are continuing to patrol the Big Bear Valley and citizens are urged to immediately call 911 if they see anything suspicious. Residents are advised to open their doors only to those they know, or uniformed law enforcement officers.

The suspect vehicle and any evidence located inside the vehicle will be turned over to the Irvine Police Department.

Sheriff John McMahon is committed to the safety of the citizens in the Big Bear Valley Community and will keep additional deputies patrolling the streets throughout the search to ensure their safety. Sheriff McMahon stated “the search will continue until the suspect has been apprehended or it has been determined that he is no longer on the mountain.”

***Media Note*** A press briefing is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., this will be the final briefing of the day***

****************************
UPDATE – Thursday, February 7, 2013, at 9:00 p.m.,
An extensive search for the suspect, Christopher Dorner, will continue throughout the night. Law Enforcement personnel from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Riverside Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, FBI, Irvine Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Pomona Police Department, US Forest Service and CalFire will continue to search the forest area and go door-to-door in an effort to find Dorner. If the weather changes drastically during the night and hampers the search, then multiple two man units will be patrolling the area.

Helicopters from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will continue to assist ground searchers by conducting aerial support.

Additional deputies are continuing to patrol the Big Bear Valley and citizens are urged to immediately call 911 if they see anything suspicious. Residents are advised to open their doors only to those they know, or uniformed law enforcement officers.

***Media note*** There will not be a Sheriff’s PIO at the command post throughout the night. If there is any change in the search for Christopher Dorner the media will be advised by the Sheriff’s Department Public Affairs Division and a PIO will respond to the command post if needed. Sheriff McMahon is expected to hold a news briefing Friday morning at 9:00 at the same location.
*****************
On Thursday, February 7, 2013, at approximately 8:35 a.m., Deputies from the Big Bear Station responded to the report of a burned out vehicle in the area of Forest Road 2N10 and Club View in Big Bear Lake. At approximately 2:30 p.m., deputies were able to confirm the vehicle belonged to Christopher Dorner.

An extensive search for the suspect continues in the communities of the Big Bear Valley. Deputies along with State and Federal Agents will be searching the forest area surrounding Bear Mountain Ski Resort, and a door to door search of the surrounding homes for the suspect. Sheriff’s Aviation is assisting by conducting an aerial search of the area.

Deputies are also positioned on Hwy 18 in Lucerne Valley, Hwy 330 in Highland and Hwy 18 in Yucaipa monitoring traffic that is travelling up and down the mountain. Additional personnel from throughout the Sheriff’s Department have been deployed to the mountain communities. Sheriff John McMahon stated he will continue vigilant patrol of the area until the suspect is located or it is determined he is no longer in the Big Bear Valley.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department would like to warn area residents that Christopher Dorner is considered armed and dangerous. Residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity. If you have information regarding his whereabouts please immediately call 911.

Refer: Public Affairs Division
Phone No.: (909) 387-3700

JOHN MCMAHON, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department

Contact Information:
Jodi Miller
Public Affairs Division
909-387-3700
jmiller@sbcsd.org

For full details, view this message on the web.

CFN - California Fire News 2012 

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SBSD: Dorner Standoff Sheriff Communications Transcript -

 San Bernardino County Sheriff Standoff with C. Dorner (February 12, 

Scanner audio captured during the standoff with Charles Dorner - fire begins approx. 25 mins in.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Standoff with C. Dorner (February 12, 2013)

Subject: Partial Dorner Standoff Transcript - Selected quotes from the recording
START. 
26:22 Seven burners deployed, and we have a fire. (Original CFN Breaking Report Link https://twitter.com/CalFireNews/status/301479740810866689 )
27:05 Guys, be ready on the #4 side. We have fire in the front and he might come out the back.
27:12 Ready.
27:20 On the four side, remember your backdrops.
28:30 The one side's fully engulfed; fire on the four.
28:16 10-4, engulfed
29:33 Contact fire to staging, have them bring an engine down here.
30:44 14, 10-5-0
30:56 Control, 61 Lincoln, sounds like one shot fired from inside the residence.
31:00 Copy: One shot fired from inside the residence. Confirm you still want fire to roll in?
31:04 Roll in at stage.
31:17 Copy. They're staged at [inaudible] and 38.
31:14 Fire will be staged at the first contact with the first armored unit down there.
31:26 61 Lincoln to all perimeter units: Stand by, maintain your discipline
31:51 12-61 Lincoln, 1-2 corner fully engulfed
31:55 Copy, 1-2 corner fully engulfed.
32:46 61 Lincoln, we have ammo exploding inside
32:52 Copy, ammo exploding inside.
36:09 [inaudible] Status check?
36:14 I'm code four. I'm on the four side. Over.
36:18 Copy. Do we have, uh, do we have fire back there yet?
36:24 [inaudible] I'm on the number four side, fully engulfed
36:34 [inaudible] Two and four side fully engulfed. Fire moving to three now.
36:37 Copy, number two and four fully engulfed.
38:36 [inaudible] Is there any propane cylinders or anything back there we need to be aware of?
38:47 No, not that I can see from my position
38:52 Copy. Thanks. Break. Guys on the #3 side: Any propane tanks visible?
39:02 [inaudible] We [inaudible] propane tanks on the backside
39:33 62-10-1 to control, confirming that fire's been notified to come down this way?
39:39 Fire was staging just a [inaudible]
39:57 Do you need them closer?
40:16 61-Lincoln, 61-Charlie.
40:20 Go ahead, [inaudible].
40:21 Do we want to have, uh, fire start putting water on it once the roof starts to settle down a bit, and, uh, like it's starting to collapse?
40:29 Affirm, uh, gimme me some time, here. We're not quite there. We still have the, uh, 2-3 corner, there, that's still vulnerable.
40:37 10-4, We're just bringing fire in about 200 yards out. Your call.
40:40 Copy.
40:46 [inaudible]
40:47 Go, Tim.
41:04 [inaudible] Is there still a lot of room on the 3-4 corner that's not engulfed yet?
41:11 Copy, thanks Tim. 3-4 corner, there's a lot of room left. I copy.
42:45 Control 61-Lincoln. We still have ammo going off in the fire.
42:49 61-Lincoln: copy.
46:10 [inaudible]
46:12 George-2.
46:22 [inaudible] Get everybody over here.
46:37 61-George-2
46:47 [inaudible] your status?
46:53 61-Lincoln [inaudible]
46:57 We just had open mike, it sounded like some time of commotion. Just checking your status.
47:04 [inaudible]
47:09 Okay.
47:33 [inaudible] Monroe
47:39 John, uh, how's that fire doing on the back west side?
47:43 It's taking its dear sweet time to get there. This thing's well-constructed. Uh, we don't even have any roof uh [inaudible] not ready for those reasons and I still have ammo popping here.
47:58 Fire
48:00 Monroe
48:02 Break. 61-Lincoln, 61-Charlie. You ready for fire?
48:08 61-Lincoln, 61-Charlie: That's negative. I still don't have adequate penetration on the 2-3 or the 3-4, and I still live ammo popping.
48:29 Lights off, please.
49:07 [inaudible] no way
49:09 Open mike.
49:27 61-Charlie, 61-Lincoln: [inaudible] from your vantage point, you can see how it's, uh, containing itself quite well. Can you see that I don't have adequate penetration on the 2-3 yet?
49:39 Yeah, I don't see that, uh, corner yet. I'm leaving it to your call, John.
49:42 Copy that.
50:14 [inaudible] Monroe
50:20 Go ahead, Jeff.
50:25 We got the, uh, Dodge truck [inaudible] slide down the hill. Did you want that cleared?
50:35 Let's, uh, hold until we start mop-up with fire.
50:42 I want to hold the permiter until, uh, 61-Lincoln makes the call.
50:50 Copy.
51:32 10-13
51:42 [inaudible] relay there's [inaudible] fire [inaudible] 3-4 corner
51:48 Fire on the 3-4 corner?
51:54 Yeah, that's [inaudible]
51:58 61-Lincoln, the fire is [inaudible] I'm still not ready for fire, um. Fire is moving [inaudible]... but we still have a lot of smoldering. So just stand by.
52:11 Copy.
53:05 [inaudible] How we doing back there?
53:13 Uh, [inaudible] the, uh, 1-4 corner.
53:22 [inaudible] down to the 3-4?
53:32 I can drive around that way if you want me to.
53:41 [inaudible]
52:49 Last traffic was unreadable at [inaudible]
53:56 Copy [inaudible]
53:58 Fully engulfed.
54:01 [inaudible] copy. 3-4 is fully-engulfed.
54:10 [inaudible] Luke?
54:14 More ammo going off.
54:16 Copy, more ammo going off.
54:23 Luke?
54:24 Go.
54:25 Hey, John, if these, uh, cabins have [inaudible] areas? Something to consider.
54:33 Affirmative, I'm told that there's basement in the cabin. So as a precaution, since the fire's self-containing itself I'm going to let that heat burn through that basement.
54:43 [inaudible] good call.
55:22 Lincoln [inaudible]
55:32 Battalion 1-31
55:50 Battalion 1-31, if you didn't copy, we're not ready for you yet. We've got live ammo going off.
56:00 Yeah, I did copy that. I just wanted to give some information, that, uh. [inaudible] I have a fire seargent that was raised in that building and uh he's familiar with [inaudible] suspect [inaudible]
56:21 61-Lincoln, did you copy that?
56:22 Negative [inaudible]
56:23 Batallion chief is advising there was a firefighter raised in that residence and he's advising the basement is 12 by 15.
56:33 The ceiling of the basement or the floor is wood or concrete?
56:48 10-5 Is the basement floor or ceiling wood or concrete?
56:57 Batallion chief, can you advise? If the basement floor or ceiling is wood or concrete?
57:29 Control 61-Lincoln. Did they advise?
57:30 They're advising on another channel, and that's affirmed, the ceiling of the basement is wood.
57:43 Control 61-Charlie. Which end of the house is the basement at? North, south, east, west?
57:53 North.
59:01 61-Lincoln, were you able to ascertain which end of the house that basement is in?
59:06 One of our deputies is checking with him now. I'm just waiting for the answer.
59:16 61-Lincoln, they're advising the west side.
59:21 That's the side that's not, uh, been penetrated by fire yet. Thank you.
59:28 10-4
00:41 61-Charlie, 61-Lincoln. The fire is doing quite well. [inaudible] penetrated the 2-3 or 3-4, where that basement is supposedly located.
00:54 [inaudible]
01:03 John, standing by for your, uh, request for Fire, whenever you're ready.
01:07 Okay, thank you.
01:18 [inaudible]
01:33 [inaudible]
01:36 [inaudible] go for dinner
01:45 [inaudible] basement on the 3-4 corner. Still smoke coming out of that window.
01:51 You guys with eyes on the back: If you, uh, see something that's catching fire that's not supposed to be, then let me know. But otherwise, let it go.
02:05 Control, 61-Charlie
02:06 61-Charlie
02:09 Whoever's talking to that firefighter who's familiar with this house: Can you also ask him if there'd be any, uh, reason for ammunition to have been in the cabin other than from the suspect?
02:23 That's affirm. Will check.
02:42 [inaudible]
02:50 61-Lincoln, we have, uh, green smoke or gas that just blew out of the burning structure deployed.
03:03 Copy. More smoke, gas, uh, deployed by suspect?
03:09 Uh, either it blew out of front or it was thrown out.
03:12 Copy.
03:26 61-Charlie That firefighter RP hasn't been in the residence in years, and he doesn't know.
03:33 10-4, thank you.
04:33 61-Lincoln, We've got, uh, good penetration with the fire at 2-3 corner. It's still doing quite well, self-containing itself. I'm gonna let it go.
04:48 The fire is self-contained, good penetration 2-3 corner.
05:35 61-Lincoln.
05:38 Go ahead.
05:39 We're getting information on 60 police band that there is a propane tank at the rear of the residence near the garage.
05:50 Copy. That's gonna be quite a ways from the fire. Should be code four.
05:57 Thanks.
05:58 Go, Tim.
06:01 [inaudible]
06:03 You're 10-1. Try again.
06:05 [inaudible] propane tank [inaudible]
06:10 Copy that.
06:44 61-Lincoln. Just info, we're gonna get on 21 with that batallion chief.
06:50 Just know the, uh, floor on the number 1-2 corner, which is the east side has collapsed. I don't know if that's where the basement is at, or [inaudible]
07:54 61-Lincoln, 61-Sam wants to know how many feet the fire is away from the propane tank.
08:00 [inaudible] can you answer that?
08:07 10-9?
08:12 Nickel. Enter. Can you answer that question?
08:14 [inaudible]
08:19 Confirming: 70 yard?
08:20 [inaudible]
08:23 Control, 61-Lincoln, Do you copy 70 yards?
08:28 That's affirm, 70 yards. Thank you.
09:05 [inaudible] our people are [inaudible] and
09:06 Open mike.
09:07 That one kid died.
09:09 Open mike!
09:11 How quick they get that crap out. It was quick. They were getting the news before we were getting it, so we--
09:21 Open mike!
09:28 mike
09:29 Open mike at the press conference.
 END.

Keywords: Charles Dorner Standoff; Police Audio

Creative Commons license: Public Domain Mark 1.0

CFN - California Fire News 2012 

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2008 Old Fire: Guilty Verdict For Arsonist On Five Counts Of Murder

 Arsonist Guilty of Murder in October 2003 Old Fire Heart-Attack Deaths

Arsonist Rickie Fowler in a San Bernardino courtroom.

 Rickie Fowler was convicted of murder in the deaths of five men who suffered fatal heart attacks as they rushed to evacuate

A jury has found a California man guilty of murdering five people who had fatal heart attacks after he deliberately started a blaze that grew into the 91,000-acre Old fire in 2003.

Jurors in San Bernardino on Wednesday found 30-year-old Rickie Fowler guilty of setting the fire in the foothills above San Bernardino. The fire burned for nine days and destroyed 1,000 buildings.

Prosecutors charged Fowler with the murders of five men who died from heart attacks after their homes burned. The men suffered the heart attacks as they rushed to evacuate the area.

He also was convicted on two arson counts.

Fowler fell under suspicion when witnesses reported seeing a passenger in a van tossing burning objects into dry brush. Investigators interviewed Fowler several months after the fire, but did not have enough evidence to file charges until six years after the fire.

At the time charges were filed, Fowler was already in jail serving time for a burglary conviction.

The Old Fire was one of several wildfires that burned in California during October 2003.

During the trial, defense attorneys argued that prosecutors focused on Fowler to the exclusion of other evidence. They cited witness discrepancies regarding the descriptions of the van see at the fire's ignition point.

Prosecutors told the jury Fowler gave them a note in 2008 in which he acknowledged he was present when the fire began and intended to start the fire before a friend started it. During jailhouse interviews, Fowler denied that he threw a road flare into brush.

The van's driver was later shot and killed in an unrelated incident.

Source: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Old-Fire-Murder-Deaths-Fowler-San-Bernardino-166293556.html

CFN -California Fire News 2012 

Tweet - Follow @CalFireNews

Eagle Fire: Los Coyotes Indians get 6-year sentences

Two who set Eagle fire will get 6-year sentences

 VISTA — Two young Los Coyotes Indian reservation tribal members admitted Friday that they started last summer’s Eagle fire, which scorched more than 14,000 acres of the reservation and state park land and cost $15 million to extinguish.

Jeremy Ortieaglez and James Durbin, both 24, changed their plea to guilty in Vista Superior Court and will be sentenced next month under a plea deal to six years each in state prison.

The two men admitted they set fire to a structure and forest land but more serious charges that could have sent them to prison for life were dismissed because, Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez said, authorities do not believe they intended to start a big fire.

Jeremy Ortiz — Charlie Neuman

Instead, Perez told Judge Dan Goldstein, who approved the plea deal, Ortiz and Durbin meant only to burn down a guard shack that a private company had erected on the reservation.

James Durbin — Charlie Neuman

Perez said psychological evaluations, their age, the fact they were drunk at the time of the fire and the “lack of sophistication of their crimes” led her office to conclude they didn’t intend “to cause the extensive damage which they caused.”

Proof that they didn’t mean to start a bigger fire is that after the shack was destroyed, Ortiz and Durbin fled to a house from which they had to be rescued by firefighters as flames approached.

Perez did not comment on motive, but in other court proceedings it has been shown that Ortiz’s and Durbin’s actions were connected to an ongoing dispute involving tribal members and the owners of the Eagle Rock Training Center. The company had entered into a lease the year before with the tribe to operate a military training and filming business on the reservation for 25 years.

The training center has since been evicted from the reservation, and a tribal court judge has ruled the lease was not legal. The business also recently abandoned a federal-court case seeking to uphold the lease arrangement.

The fire, which began July 21, scorched 14,100 acres of grass, brush and trees on the reservation and adjoining Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

More than 2,100 firefighters, supported by air tankers and helicopters, prevented the flames from threatening the community of Borrego Springs. Eighteen firefighters were injured battling the blaze.

Perez said the deal was struck after consulting with the victims of the fire: Cal Fire, state parks, the training center, and the reservation.

According to court records, Ortiz admitted to Cal Fire investigators that he poured gas on the structure while Durbin lit the blaze. Durbin told investigators Ortiz lit the fire but that he was with him and knew what the plan was.

Source: U-T San Diego - Link

California Fire News 2012 

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Esperanza wildfire - Oyler jury deadlocked

Update: 03-06-09 Noon - Jurors in the Esperanza Fire trial have reached a verdict

Esperanza Fire trial: Raymond Lee Oyler is accused of setting the 2006 wildfire near Cabazon that killed five firefighters. The verdict will be read at 1:30 p.m.

Oyler jury deadlocked on several charges
Judge says keep trying

The four-man, eight-woman panel weighing Raymond Lee Oyler's fate sent a note to Riverside County Superior Court Judge W. Charles Morgan on Thursday afternoon, asking for guidance on “how to proceed on charges on which we've become deadlocked.”

Defendant Raymond Oyler looks back during opening statements of his trial Thursday, Jan 22, 2009, in Riverside, Calif. Oyler, 38, has pleaded not guilty to 45 counts including murder and arson. He could face the death penalty if convicted. (AP Photo, Nick Ut)

RIVERSIDE — Jurors in the arson- murder trial of a former Beaumont mechanic accused of setting 23 brush fires in Riverside County, including a blaze that killed five firefighters, indicated Thursday they were struggling to reach a decision on several charges.

It was unclear which counts are involved.

After reading the question aloud, Morgan turned to the jurors and encouraged them to “step back and examine the issue.”

“Step back and it may become clearer if you look at the totality (of the evidence),” Morgan said. “You have to consider everything substantial. We're here to help. Send us notes. Send us requests. Is that clear?”

“Yes,” the panelists answered, almost in unison, before they were excused for the day.

The jury will begin its sixth day of deliberations about 9 a.m. today in hopes of overcoming the impasse.

Oyler, 38, is charged with five counts of first-degree murder and 40 counts of arson and being in possession of destructive devices. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

The Oct. 26, 2006, Esperanza wildfire scorched more than 41,000 acres near Cabazon, damaged or destroyed 54 homes and other structures, and killed the crew of U.S. Forest Service Engine 57.

Capt. Mark Allen Loutzenhiser, 43, Jason Robert McKay, 27, Jess Edward McLean, 27, and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, perished when flames swept over a home they were trying to defend near Twin Pines. Firefighter Pablo Cerda, 24, died at a hospital a few days later.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Hestrin said just about all the fires Oyler is accused of setting occurred within a 10-mile radius of the defendant's Beaumont apartment, generally when he couldn't be accounted for.

A trucker identified Oyler as a person with whom he spoke at a Cabazon gas station during the first hour of the Esperanza blaze, which started about 1 a.m. The man testified that as Oyler gazed at the raging inferno, he commented that the fire was behaving “just how I thought it would.”

Oyler's cousin, Jill Frame, said he boasted about wanting to set a “mountain on fire” in the days leading up to Esperanza.

Items seized from the defendant at the time of his arrest included a slingshot with burn marks in the launch pad and a how-to guide titled “The Anarchist's Cookbook,” with references on how to make bombs.

Defense attorney Mark McDonald said the charges are unfounded and that prosecutors want to blame his client for fires that someone else started.

According to McDonald, Oyler was home with fiancee and infant daughter the night the Esperanza fire was lit.

Source: Mydesert.com - Link

News: Jury convicts Monterey County serial arsonist

Cal Fire investigators successful again - Serial arsonist conviction the Facts:

• Cal Fire investigators accused Lance Oliver Scott, 39, a Carmel resident and father of three young kids, of igniting 11 fires.
• Searches of his house and car following his arrest yielded items related to arson, as well as marijuana plants, hashish and pot.
• Lance Oliver Scott was found guilty Friday of starting five fires in the Jacks Peak area in 2006 and 2007, growing marijuana, possessing it for sale and making hash oil.
• Jailed since his arrest over a year ago.
• Scott is to appear before Monterey County Superior Court Judge Terrance Duncan Sept. 26 for sentencing of up to 16 years and eight months.
• Father of three young kids...

Related Article from the Pine Cone

Jury convicts serial arsonist

By MARY BROWNFIELD - Published: September 5, 2008

A Jury that included Carmel assistant city clerk Molly Laughlin found Lance Oliver Scott, 39, guilty Friday of starting five fires in the Jacks Peak area in 2006 and 2007, as well as growing marijuana, possessing it for sale and making hash oil.

Jailed since his arrest more than a year ago, Scott is next set to appear before Monterey County Superior Court Judge Terrance Duncan Sept. 26 for sentencing of up to 16 years and eight months.

Evidence tying Scott to the suspicious blazes was key in finding him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Laughlin told The Pine Cone. Cal Fire investigators and Monterey County Deputy District Attorney Steve Somers accused Scott, a Carmel resident and father of three young kids, of igniting 11 fires in dry grass beside some of the roads snaking through the forested, hilly, upscale residential area that is also home to a county park. Searches of his house and car following his arrest yielded items related to arson, as well as numerous marijuana plants, hashish and pounds of pot.

After the prosecution spent a few days calling investigators, sheriff’s deputies and experts to detail the evidence and logic behind each allegation, defense attorney Richard Rosen questioned several character witnesses who described Scott as a nature lover who would never want to damage the environment. “I was impressed by what his friends said about him as an outdoorsman,” Laughlin said. “That seemed to be very consistent.”

Another witness, Frank Emerson of the Carmel River Steelhead Association, was forced to appear in court under subpoena to tell the jury about Scott’s work rescuing steelhead in the Carmel River, though he does not know Scott well. “It seems like he has done a fair amount of good in his life, with the steelhead and all that,” Laughlin observed. “I hand it to him for that.”

She also found Scott’s demeanor on the stand impressive.

“He was a lot more cool and collected than I thought he would be,” she said.

Charting the facts

Laughlin reported the jurors, who are from all over Monterey County, worked well together, contributed equally to the discussion and got along during deliberations that began last Thursday afternoon and ended the next day.

“Everybody listened, and we had some good debate, but everybody was very respectful,” she said.
The group first discussed the drug charges, which Scott did not deny and in fact used to explain his repeated presence in Jacks Peak.

“The marijuana charges we dispensed with quickly, because there was no argument there,” Laughlin said.
Led by a foreman who had served on juries in a couple of other cases and was therefore more experienced than the others, jurors began scrutinizing the 11 blazes.

“We made a chart of each fire, one after the other: where it was, what time, what evidence was found that could lead to a guilty charge,” she explained.

According to evidence presented during the trial, Scott used a sparkler to start one fire and a torn matchbook to start another. A third fire was started with burning paper, and surveillance cameras installed in the area by Cal Fire investigators showed Scott’s car near the scene. The jury found Scott guilty of setting those fire, as well as two others.

But a blaze which broke out July 21, 2007, on Barnet Segal Road resulted in a not-guilty verdict.

“There was a chance it could have been accidentally started,” Laughlin said.

And they also failed to convict for a fire set with what Laughlin called a “really wacko device,” incorporating CO2 canisters, model-rocket engines, duct tape and a rag soaked in flammable liquid.

“That one was the most important, because it had the enhancement,” she said, referring to the stiffer penalty for someone who has used an incendiary device to start a fire.

“Yes, he had rocket motors and duct tape at his house, but they weren’t the same,” she said to explain their finding him not guilty on that count.

When the jury returned with the verdicts, Scott sat quietly, and some of his family members who had been in the courtroom daily were there, according to Laughlin. She described his demeanor as “pretty stoic.”

And she said, “it was a well considered verdict. Nobody’s going to be 100 percent happy, but I think it was fair, and I think we did right by him.”

Laughlin, who had never before served on a jury, found the entire experience captivating and positive.

Although Somers was confident in every charge, he was pleased with the guilty verdicts on the eight for which Scott will be sentenced later this month, and he commended the extensive work and resources Cal Fire investigators put into the case. “It takes a lot to get an arson conviction, so we were happy,” Somers said this week.