Man accused of starting California park fire returns to court and pleads guilty to arson charge

A man accused of starting the Park Fire, the fourth-largest blaze in California history, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday. Prosecutors accuse him of setting fire to a car near popular swimming spots and pushing it down a 65-foot embankment.

Ronnie Dean Stout II pleaded not guilty in Butte Superior Court to setting fire to an inhabited building or property. He also denied aggravated arson charges due to special circumstances and three aggravated charges related to previous convictions for striking, court records show.

Prosecutors believe the burning car sparked a fire that destroyed homes and triggered widespread evacuation orders starting last month.

According to Cal Fire, the Park Fire has burned 429,460 acres and is 61% contained as of Thursday morning after it broke out in Upper Bidwell Park east of Chico on July 24. All evacuations have been lifted where the fire has spread in Tehama, Plumas, Shasta and Butte counties, Cal Fire said.

There are “indications” that Stout was drunk before the incident, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said during a press conference after Stout's first court appearance. Ramsey did not disclose the defendant's blood alcohol level because he was not arrested at the scene.

Witnesses saw him drinking near the watering hole, Ramsey said. Another person saw the defendant driving “extraordinarily” recklessly and at high speed, Ramsey said.

According to prosecutors, Stout has already been convicted twice under California's “three strikes” law. If convicted of arson, he faces 25 years to life in prison. In 2001, he was sentenced to one year in prison in Butte County for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.

In 2002, he was convicted in Kern County of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury.

The latter resulted in a 20-year prison sentence, according to Ramsey and Kern Superior Court documents. While on probation following his conviction in Kern County, Stout was convicted of drunken driving after driving under the influence near Upper Bidwell Park, Ramsey said.

According to court documents, Stout is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on September 19.