Man accused of setting small fires outside In-N-Out, Sprint pleads guilty to arson

A convicted arsonist and sex offender pleaded guilty Thursday to felony arson after he was arrested for setting small fires outside the storefronts for In-N-Out and Sprint in downtown Glendale, police said.

Gerald Harris, 71, is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles County Superior Court in Burbank, police said.

He was arrested for setting small fires outside a Sprint store on Brand Boulevard in Glendale last month and the In-N-Out near the Americana at Brand in December.

Last month, Harris pleaded not guilty to felony charges that he failed to file a change of address with authorities in 2010.

California law requires sex offenders to register with their nearest law enforcement agency when they change address or location.

Harris’ next court date in that case is Feb. 13 in San Fernando, where a preliminary hearing date is expected to be set.

He has been convicted twice for arson in the past 10 years, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. He was serving parole for arson before being discharged on Dec. 7, according to police.

When Harris was arrested last month, he reportedly told police officers he was homeless and sleeping at the temporary winter shelter at the National Guard Armory on Colorado Street in Glendale.

He also has multiple convictions for trespassing, battery, vandalism, theft, public drunkenness and indecent exposure, according to court records.

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Follow Mark Kellam on Twitter: @LAMarkKellam