Accused Arsonist in California's 5th Largest Wildfire Makes Court Appearance: 'This Didn't Have to Happen'

A witness claimed to see Ronnie Dean Stout II pushing a burning car down an embankment and into a gully in Bidwell Park on July 24, according to the Butte County District Attorney's Office

A 42-year-old man who is accused of starting the expansive Park Fire in Northern California has made his first appearance in court.

Ronnie Dean Stout II, of Chico, was arrested early in the morning on July 24 “on suspicion of starting the Park Fire,” according to a press release from the Butte County District Attorney’s Office.

Stout was identified by authorities one day after a witness claimed to see him pushing a burning car about 60 feet down an embankment and “into a gully near the Alligator Hole in upper Bidwell Park” shortly before 3 p.m. local time.

According to the district attorney's office, the fire from the burning car is believed to have ultimately “caused the Park Fire” to start.

Afterward, Stout was allegedly “seen calmly leaving the area by blending in with the other citizens who were in the area and fleeing the rapidly evolving fire.”

Related: Apparent Fire Tornado Spotted in California amid Wildfires

Stout was arrested and booked into the Butte County Jail. He was then arraigned on multiple charges in court on July 29.

Among the charges Stout faces is arson of an inhabited structure or property, according to The Sacramento Bee. He also faces multiple enhancements, including three under the state’s “Three Strikes” law.

"This didn't have to happen,” said district attorney Mike Ramsey, who noted Stout was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the incident, according to CBS affiliate KOVR and FOX affiliate KTXL.

Ramsey said a witness claimed to see Stout pull his car off to the side of the road and cause a fire by revving his engine over grass, KOVR and NBC affiliate KCRA-TV reported. The witness allegedly saw Stout drinking at the scene, as well.

Stout reportedly did not enter a plea at the hearing, and is being held without bail until his next hearing on Aug. 1. He could be incarcerated for 25 years to life.

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The Park Fire is currently 14% contained and spans four countries, having already burned 383,619 acres of land, according to data from CalFire. It is now the fifth-largest wildfire in California history, per CNN.

Stout was previously charged with two other felonies, according to the district attorney’s press release. In 2001, Stout was charged in Butte County for committing Lewd and Lascivious Acts with a Child under 14 and is now listed as a sex offender on the Megan’s Law website.

The following year, Stout was convicted in Kern County Superior Court for Robbery with Great Bodily Injury and was sentenced to 20 years in state prison. According to KOVR, he was released from prison in October 2018.

Related: 4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Rattles Southern California

Stout was arrested again in 2020 on suspicion of driving under the influence in Bidwell Park, near the site where the Park Fire began, per KCRA-TV and The Sacramento Bee.

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