Town’s Mayor, Fire Chief and Detective Indicted in Arson
A Del Norte County grand jury Thursday indicted the mayor, fire chief and a police detective on a variety of charges stemming from the arson burning of a city fishing pier in July.
Charges against Mayor C. Ray Smith and Fire Chief Donald Olson include conspiracy to obstruct justice, arson, reckless burning, perjury before a grand jury, delaying a police investigation and being an accessory after the fact to a felony.
Police Detective Virginia Anthony was also indicted on charges of perjury to the grand jury, delaying a police investigation and being an accessory after the fact to a felony.
Three volunteer firefighters pleaded guilty July 28 in Crescent City Justice Court to unlawfully burning the pier. They face sentencing Friday on the misdemeanor charges.
Martin Kelly, a reporter for the Eureka (Calif.) Times-Standard newspaper and radio station KCRE, previously told authorities that he saw firefighters adding fuel to the July 7 blaze, which eventually destroyed the dilapidated pier over 2 1/2 days.
The night before, the City Council ordered the Fire Department not to extinguish any fire that might break out on the structure. The council had just received notice from the California Coastal Commission that its emergency request for a permit to tear down the pier had been denied.
The council was considering demolishing it at a cost of $165,000.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
