Ex-Firefighter Sentenced In Cleveland Forest Blaze
A former U.S. Forest Service firefighter in northern San Diego County has been sentenced to 30 months in custody after pleading guilty to setting two fires in Cleveland National Forest.
James R. King, 26, a firefighter for three years, also was ordered Friday to pay $101,747 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Thomas Whelan. The amount is the cost of fighting five fires that King is suspected of setting.
“I’m extremely remorseful,” King said. “I was a firefighter. I blew that because I was stupid.”
No structures or vehicles were burned in any of the fires. Other firefighters became suspicious of King when he claimed to have spotted the fires well before others could report them.
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