The man accused of starting the Park Fire was in court Thursday, but he still has not entered a plea. 42-year-old Ronnie Stout of Chico is accused of pushing his mother’s burning car into a gully full of dry brush in Upper Bidwell Park last Wednesday, which quickly grew to become an inferno. A witness claims to have seen him drinking nearby before the car caught fire. Calfire Arson Investigators arrested stout early last Thursday morning. Stout has spent a lot of time in prison for child molestation, robbery with great bodily injury and more. If convicted of the felony charges he faces it would be his third strike, making him eligible for 25 years to life in prison. Butte County DA Mike Ramsey says Stout doesn’t deny starting the fire, but he claims it was an accident. He’s being held without bail. Thursday’s arraignment was continued so Stout’s public defender can review the case.
-Steve Gibson