BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man accused of setting a series of fires in Taft over the course of a year pleaded no contest Tuesday to two counts of arson in separate cases, according to court records.
Joshua Martin Woodswilliams, 36, is scheduled for sentencing on March 13. He was arrested in November.
The fires resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage and “caused many of the citizens of Taft to fear for their properties and their lives,” Kern County Fire arson investigators said in court documents.
Some fires were started by using what Woodswilliams called a “time-delay device:” a 2-liter bottle filled with gasoline and placed in a backpack which he then lit. He told investigators he used that method to burn large commercial buildings on Center Street.
In other instances, Woodswilliams said, he dropped burning clothing down vents, or simply poured gas on an object and ignited it. Sometimes he set fires in an attempt to get an ex-girlfriend’s attention, he told investigators.