King Fire arsonist going to prison for 20 years
Wayne Allen Huntsman is going to prison for 20 years for starting the destructive 2014 King Fire.
Wayne Allen Huntsman
In El Dorado County Superior Court in Placerville on Friday he changed his plea to guilty. Judge Daniel Proud handed Huntsman, 38, the maximum sentence. He was also ordered to pay $60 million in restitution.
In addition to the more than 97,000 acres that burned that fall – mostly in the Eldorado National Forest — 12 houses and 68 outbuildings were destroyed at a loss of $6.5 million. The fire started near Pollock Pines and spread rapidly from there in a northeast direction.
One firefighter was hurt fighting the blaze that took 27 days to contain.
Smoke from the fire could be seen from the Lake Tahoe Basin that fall.
Huntsman took video of himself at the scene became evidence.
The Pollock Pines man was tearful April 8 as he admitted to the crimes he was charged with.
“I’m pleading guilty because I’m guilty,” Huntsman told the court.
This video from the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office shows how the investigation unfolded.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Great, maybe he will come up with the next Apple phone while in prison to pay that $60 mill. Making license plates doesn’t pay to well. And the taxpayers will be paying the $50,000 plus a year to house him in prison. Hope they put him to work restoring wildfire damaged areas.