Cedar Fire Starter gets Probation
The man who started the largest wildland fire in California history, which killed 15 people, gets five years of probation as his sentence (from ABC News).
SAN DIEGO Nov 17, 2005 — A deer hunter, after a tearful courtroom apology, was sentenced Thursday to five years probation for starting a wildfire that killed 15 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes."I wish I was dead instead," Sergio Martinez told a packed courtroom that included many victims of the blaze east of San Diego that charred 422 square miles the largest wildfire in California history.
Martinez started the fire to attract attention after he became lost and disoriented on Oct. 25, 2003, in the Cleveland National Forest. He faced a maximum five years in prison, but the judge spared him jail time.
This seems like a pretty light sentence to me considering the death and destruction that resulted from the incident. I'll be interested to read the reactions over the next couple of days.
UPDATE: Here is the full sentence that was handed down (via the San Diego Union-Tribune).
Instead, Sergio Martinez was ordered to spend six months in private confinement that will allow him to continue to work and be free on weekends to perform 960 hours of community service. Martinez also was placed on probation for five years and ordered to pay restitution of $150 a month over that period.
Maybe I'm being too tough here, but I still think this is a light sentence. After killing 15 people and destroying 2,400 homes, some prison time would be in order.
