Gary Stephen Maynard, a 49-year-old resident of San Jose, pleaded guilty to three counts of arson on federal property, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.
Court documents reveal that Maynard engaged in a series of arsons in the Shasta Trinity National Forest and the vicinity of the Dixie Fire in the Lassen National Forest. Some of the fires were intentionally set behind firefighters battling the Dixie Fire, putting them at risk and complicating efforts to control one of California’s largest wildfires, prosecutors said.
Maynard confessed to setting multiple fires during this arson spree, including the Cascade Fire on July 20, 2021, the Everitt Fire on July 21, 2021, the Ranch Fire on August 7, 2021, and the Conard Fire on August 7, 2021.
The U.S. Forest Service led the investigation, with support from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, and the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea Kenny, Sam Stefanki, and Michael Anderson are prosecuting the case.