Escondido Teens Admit Setting School Fires, Damaging Church

Four Escondido teen-agers pleaded guilty Thursday in Juvenile Court to a variety of charges in connection with four Escondido school fires that caused $1.2 million in damages.

The four youths were charged with participating in one or more of the fires on March 10 and 18. Three of the teen-agers were also charged with breaking into and vandalizing the Church of the Resurrection Feb. 18.

One 17-year-old youth pleaded guilty to four counts of arson involving fires at Escondido High School, Orange Glen High School and Del Dios Middle School and to a break-in at the Church of the Resurrection, all in Escondido.

Five other charges against him, involving burglary and vandalism, were dismissed by Hideo Chino, Juvenile Court judge pro tem, who set a May 10 sentencing.

A 16-year-old boy pleaded guilty to the same charges, and five other counts against him were dismissed. He will be sentenced May 19.

Both teen-agers face maximum sentences of 10 years and eight months.

A 16-year-old girl involved in two arsons pleaded guilty to two counts of setting fires at Orange Glen and Del Dios, and a 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to one count of arson at Escondido High and one count of vandalism at the Catholic church, where, he admitted, he overturned several crosses.

Two burglary charges were dismissed against each of the two during morning negotiations with Deputy Dist. Atty. Karen Walter.

The girl faces a maximum sentence of seven years and four months in custody; the boy could be sentenced to six years, eight months. Both will be sentenced in Chino’s court May 10.

Three of the teen-agers were charged with involvement in arsons the night of March 18 in which classrooms at Del Dios and Orange Glen were severely damaged and a cafeteria/dramatic arts building at Escondido High was destroyed.

Chino, in agreeing to dismiss some of the charges against the four, said he may take the dropped charges into account at sentencings next month when considering restitution due in the costly school fires.