Former college professor pleads guilty to arson spree as crews fought Dixie Fire

A former college professor has pleaded guilty to a string of arson fires in Northern California in 2021 as fire crews were battling the second-largest fire in the state’s history.

Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, pleaded guilty to three arson counts in connection to fires in the Shasta National Forest and near the Dixie Fire in the Lassen National Forest, the Justice Department said on Thursday.

The Dixie Fire burned over 1,500 square miles after igniting on July 13 and destroyed over 1,000 homes. Maynard was accused of setting fires behind firefighters battling the Dixie Fire.

According to the Justice Department, Maynard admitted to starting the Cascade Fire on July 20, 2021, and the Everett Fire the following day. He also admitted to sparking the Ranch Fire and Conard Fire on Aug. 7 that year.

Investigators arrested Maynard after putting a tracking device under his car. The Associated Press reported he was a former lecturer on criminal justice issues at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University for a period.

Read more: KCRA