Woman Who Sparked Sequoia Fire Gets Prison
From Staff and Wire Reports
A Bakersfield woman who started the worst fire in Sequoia National Forest’s recorded history was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison.
Peri Dare Van Brunt, 46, wept as U.S. District Judge Robert Coyle confirmed the sentence she agreed to in a deal reached with federal prosecutors in May.
Van Brunt pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of leaving a fire unattended and unextinguished, causing timber and other growth to burn, and setting a campfire without removing nearby flammable material.
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