SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — A former professor who pleaded guilty to starting fires on federal land during one of the most destructive wildfires in California was sentenced Thursday to over five years in prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Calabretta sentenced Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, to five years and three months’ incarceration, followed by three years’ supervised release. He must also pay over $13,000 in restitution on three counts of arson.
“Maynard went on an arson spree on federal land while California faced one of the worst fire seasons in history,” U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said in a statement. “He intentionally made a dangerous situation more perilous by setting some of his fires behind the men and women fighting the Dixie Fire, potentially cutting off any chance of escape.”
Maynard faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, though prosecutors in a plea agreement said sentencing guidelines called for a term closer to five years.
According to prosecutors, Maynard set smaller fires within the footprint of the Dixie Fire. That fire, which swept through almost 1 million acres in mid-2021, gutted around 1,300 structures and injured four people.
“Maynard intentionally took advantage of a volatile situation — a massive forest fire burning large swaths of the state — and used it as an opportunity for his own malicious arson spree,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
Authorities linked Maynard to the fires, in part, to recordings and internet searches he made.
A fire investigator saw Maynard on July 20, 2021, after responding to fire reports in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Maynard, who mentioned something about being a professor, said he knew nothing about the blaze.
However, a bystander told officials that he saw Maynard walk away from his vehicle. After returning, smoke was spotted nearby. Authorities found two attempts to start a fire.
On July 21, 2021, a fire crew saw the glow of a blaze in the national forest. Suspecting arson, they found a tire impression in the area that matched impressions from Maynard’s vehicle the day before.
Authorities started tracking Maynard’s location, knowing when he was in the Lassen National Forest. He camped in heavy forest near the Dixie Fire, and an agent saw a large column of smoke after Maynard left. Again, tire impressions linking Maynard to the area were found.
Officers arrested Mayard on Aug. 7, 2021, as he was driving toward a fire. A vehicle search yielded lighters and electronic devices. Those devices had recordings of Maynard talking about arson. He’d also been searching the internet about the Dixie Fire, as well as suppression efforts.
In a letter to probation officers, Maynard wrote that his acts were misguided and didn’t reflect his true nature. He blamed the arson on several factors, including stress, the Covid-19 pandemic and a breakup with a girlfriend.
Prosecutors wrote that Maynard has arrests and convictions extending back over two decades.
Additionally, video seized from Maynard’s vehicle shows him setting other fires that prosecutors opted against including in their case. In one incident, he told a property owner that he’d “burn this to the ground” and “that’s what you win, you win a wildfire right in your house,” authorities wrote.
Prosecutors also wrote in court documents that Maynard followed a mother and her three children, seemingly terrorizing them for his enjoyment. After the family stopped in a police station parking lot, Maynard threatened to kill the mother.
“The crimes of conviction — along with his other actions — show that Maynard acts with a wanton disregard for the safety of others,” prosecutors wrote.