Man enters plea in two fire crew deaths
From Times Wire Reports
A man has pleaded not guilty to arson and murder in the deaths of an air crew that died when their plane went down in a remote Central Valley canyon while surveying a forest fire.
Patrick Ryan Courtney, 29, was arrested last week and accused of setting a fire that was being observed from the air by a crew working for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Battalion Chief Robert Stone and pilot Sandy Willett died Sept. 6 when their plane crashed in the Tulare County foothills.
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.
