Man who caused Park fire, one of the largest in California history, convicted of arson

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Set us as preferred It was a blistering day in Butte County when a man revved his wheels in dry grass until a spark ignited, then pushed the flaming vehicle down a 60-foot hill.Whipped by strong winds amid 100-plus degree temperatures, that spark grew into California’s fourth-largest wildfire on record, ultimately scorching some 429,000 acres and destroying 427 homes.On Friday — two years to the day since the devastating Park fire ignited — a judge found Ronnie Stout guilty of purposefully starting the blaze.The 44-year-old Chico man faces 25 years to life and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct.

9, according to the Butte County district attorney’s office.Butte County Superior Court Judge Kristen Lucena found him guilty of felony arson with multiple enhancements, including that he caused the destruction of multiple residential structures and is a “three-strike” offender.

Stout had waived his right to a jury trial, opting instead to let Lucena decide his fate.California A wildfire burning northeast of Chico has swelled to more than 164,000 acres, sending thousands of residents fleeing in the night.In 2001, he was convicted of molesting a Butte County child under 14 and served a year in jail.

The following year, he was convicted of robbery and causing great bodily injury in Kern County and sentenced to 20 years in prison.Then, while on parole for the robbery sentence in 2020, he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence near Upper Bidwell Park in Chico.And on July 24, 2024, Lucena ruled, he started the largest wildfire caused by arson in California history.Stout started the day back in Upper Bidwell Park by drunkenly harassing bathers at the Bear Hole swimming area, prosecutors said.

Witnesses testified in court that they then saw him recklessly driving his 2007 Toyota Yaris down the dirt and gravel Up...