Redding man sentenced to 11 years, eight months in prison for setting fires
A man convicted of arson was sentenced Wednesday to 11 years and eight months in prison for starting multiple fires in Shasta County on a Red Flag Alert day in 2019.
Nicholas Hunt of Redding pleaded guilty in October to three counts of arson on forest land and admitted that he committed the offenses during a state of emergency, according to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office.
The case stemmed from an investigation in which Hunt was already an arson suspect when officers followed the man through south Redding on Sept. 24, 2019, the DA’s office said.
Officials had declared a Red Flag Alert that day due to dry and windy conditions, making fires especially dangerous. The governor had also declared an emergency due to the volatile conditions.
Investigators saw Hunt stop at a gas station at Highway 273 and Buenaventura Boulevard and then go south on Highway 273 to Branstetter Lane, where he turned west, officials said.
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After traveling about a half-mile, officers saw Hunt speed past them in the opposite direction, officials said.
Officers also saw the “faint glow of flames” along the road, so they stopped and put out the fire, the DA’s office said.
“While at the scene, the officers observed the growing glow of yet another fire along the road. They responded and extinguished the second fire. Finally, the officers observed a third fire growing along the road which they responded to and extinguished. No other vehicle traffic was present other than the Officers and Hunt,” according to a DA’s office press release.
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"Hunt had worked on a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation inmate fire crew, "giving him the knowledge and training on how to set fires, including the knowledge that when he lit the fires — a Red Flag Day — he endangered the entire county of Shasta," the DA's office said.
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Damon Arthur is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State. He welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834 and damon.arthur@redding.com. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Redding man sentenced to 11 years, 8 months in prison for setting fires
