Steven Emory Butcher - Forest Arson Arrested

Steven Emory Butcher has been found guilty of starting fires in Los Padres National Forest at the same time that wildfires are burning up southern California again.

The mentally ill homeless man was held responsible for a two separate fires that destroyed more than 162,000 acres.

Butcher's first conviction related to an Ellis fired that burned 70-acres. Four years later, the now 50-year old man ignited the Day fire that would burn for a month, injuring 18 people, wiping out 11 structures and running up $100 million in fire fighting costs. Both fires started as campfires that Butcher lost control of.

Aside from the 45 month sentence, Butcher was ordered to pay more than $100 million in restitution. An amount U.S. attorney Thorn Mrozek admits will likely go unpaid.

"The likelihood of (Butcher) being able to meet that restitution payment is extremely slim. But we'll do everything we can to recover whatever we can from him."

Coincidently, on the same day that Butcher was sentenced a 16-year old already in custody in Santa Barbara was charged with starting the Gap fire that burned nearly 10,000 cares of Los Padres National Forest earlier this year.

Source