Man sentenced to 45 years for setting Inland Empire fires

A Banning man was sentenced Friday to 45 years in prison for a series of nine arson fires that spanned two years and two counties, prosecutors said.

Steven Taylor Rutherford, 49, who started eight fires in Riverside County and one in San Bernardino County from 2011 to 2013, pleaded guilty in July to 10 felony counts of arson after his arrest last year.

Rutherford, who had previously been convicted of arson in Riverside County in 1989, was tied to the fires by use of surveillance cameras and lawfully placed GPS trackers on his vehicle, the Riverside County district attorney’s office said.

He was sentenced Friday by Riverside County Superior Court Judge Becky Dugan.

“Serial arsonists like Mr. Rutherford present a continual danger and threat to everyone in the Inland Empire region,” Riverside County Dist. Atty. Paul Zellerbach said Friday in a statement. “This sentence ensures that he will spend the rest of his life in prison and will no longer be a threat.”

Rutherford was initially charged with 13 counts, but three were dismissed as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors, the district attorney’s office said.

Among the nine fires Rutherford started was the Mills fire last year in the San Bernardino County city of Mentone, which burned 534 acres and damaged four properties, including two homes.

In total, the nine fires burned 670 acres. Authorities estimate losses at $1.6 million.

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