Man convicted of lighting 2022 blaze that decimated historic Isleton restaurant and marina
The criminal case against a man who ignited a conflagration that decimated a historic Isleton restaurant and marina in 2022 wrapped up this week after he reached a plea deal.
Smoke billowing from the Moore’s Riverboat Restaurant and Marina and its docks could be seen five miles away as firefighters with the River Delta Fire District and Isleton Fire Department arrived on July 6, 2022. Fire chewed through at least three boats and reduced the marina to rubble, according to The Sacramento Bee’s previous reporting.
A sprawling investigation conducted by the River Delta Fire District, Cosumnes Fire Department, Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office for months pinpointed two suspects accused of arson that caused $1 million in damage.
The second suspect taken into custody, who was arrested in February 2023, pleaded no contest Tuesday to a felony arson charge, the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office said.
Rolly Byrd, 49, was sentenced to two years of time served, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
He was released from jail Wednesday, online jail records show.
Byrd is required to register his name on the California arson registry, a list that is provided to law enforcement.
The first arrested suspect, Wyatt Tripp, faced arson, conspiracy to commit arson and numerous weapons charges soon after the incident. A Sacramento Superior Court judge deemed there wasn’t enough evidence to hold an arson charge against him and dismissed it in April, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.
Tripp pleaded no contest to two counts of possessing a firearm and two counts of possessing ammunition as a felon he faced for an incident unrelated to the fire. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison for these charges.
