D.A. Drops Felony Arson Charge Against Woman
Prosecutors on Thursday dropped an arson charge against a Los Angeles County Fire Department public information officer’s wife, who was accused with her husband of setting fire to a Pasadena house they had tried to buy.
The felony count against Heidi Sprewell, 36, was dismissed in the interest of justice, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.
Roland Sprewell, 37, who was also charged with arson, is due in Pasadena Superior Court May 20 to set a preliminary hearing date.
Vicki Podberesky, an attorney for the Altadena couple, said she has evidence to clear Roland Sprewell, including several witnesses who saw individuals other than the Sprewells at the crime scene.
The July blaze occurred after a bank allegedly refused to return the Sprewells’ deposit on the house in the 1500 block of North Raymond Avenue.
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