{"id":2257484,"date":"2024-06-01T14:11:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-01T18:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disgraced-professor-sentenced-for-action-that-could-have-trapped-firefighters-in-deadly-blaze\/"},"modified":"2024-06-01T14:14:23","modified_gmt":"2024-06-01T18:14:23","slug":"disgraced-professor-sentenced-for-action-that-could-have-trapped-firefighters-in-deadly-blaze","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disgraced-professor-sentenced-for-action-that-could-have-trapped-firefighters-in-deadly-blaze\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor convicted for endangering firefighters in fatal fire"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdisgraced-professor-sentenced-for-action-that-could-have-trapped-firefighters-in-deadly-blaze%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2257484&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The\u200b summary \u200dof \u2063the article highlights a former college lecturer \u2064sentenced to over five years in prison for setting fires that endangered firefighters during the deadly Dixie\u200d Fire in California. The professor&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-can-be-extradited-to-the-u-s-british-court-rules\/\" title=\"Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Can Be Extradited To The U.S., British Court Rules\">actions put lives<\/a> at risk and resulted in\u2064 significant \u2062destruction, leading to a substantial sentence and restitution. The case\u200d underscores the \u2062serious consequences of\u200b arson in causing harm\u2062 to life, \u200dproperty, and national forests.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/news\/\">  News <\/a>  <\/p>\n<h2>Disgraced Professor Sentenced for Action That Could Have Trapped Firefighters in Deadly Blaze<\/h2>\n<p> <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/%20\"><span>George C. Upper III<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   June 1, 2024 at 10:02am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>A former college lecturer on \u201ccriminal justice issues\u201d is going to get some first-hand experience in the subject after he was sentenced to spend five years and three months in prison on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>Gary Stephen Maynard had pleaded guilty in January to starting a number of fires in California that could have had much more disastrous results than they did.<\/p>\n<p>Maynard, 49, had formerly lectured at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kcra.com\/article\/former-college-professor-sentenced-arson-spree-during-dixie-fire\/60964413\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KCRA<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n<p>The former lecturer admitted to starting at least four fires in July and August of 2021, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/bidens-weaponized-doj-targets-pro-life-activists-new-lawsuit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Justice Department<\/a> news release, and pleaded guilty to three counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/elon-musks-tesla-forced-halt-production-suspected-arson-attack-leftists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>One count of arson was dismissed as part of a plea agreement, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/raphael-warnock-blames-brothers-drug-conviction-on-systemic-racism-court-records-tell-a-different-story\/\" title=\"Raphael Warnock Blames Brother\u2019s Drug Conviction on Systemic Racism. Court Records Tell a Different Story.\">court records cited<\/a> by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/30\/us\/gary-maynard-california-fires-sentencing.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Maynard was charged with starting fires <em>behind<\/em> firefighters who were working to contain the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/multiple-families-displaced-wildfires-stunned-monumental-random-act-kindness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dixie Fire<\/a>, which eventually destroyed more than 1,000 homes and spread over 1,500 square miles, according to KCRA.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe 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,\u201d Phillip A. Talbert, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, said in a statement (available in full below).<\/p>\n<p>It eventually grew to become the second-largest fire in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/despite-filled-eco-zealots-california-dominates-polluted-city-list-exposed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">California<\/a> history, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaynard faced the possibility of up to 20 years in prison and a $750,000 fine,\u201d KCRA reported. \u201cBesides the prison sentence of more than five years, he was ordered to pay $13,081 in restitution.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Is this prison sentence too lenient?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>His attorney argued that Maynard was \u201csuffering from untreated and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftist-media-distort-new-homelessness-study-to-support-failed-housing-first-policies\/\" title=\"Left-leaning media twist new homelessness study to back ineffective 'Housing First' strategies.\">significant mental health issues<\/a> when he set the fires and has sought treatment since then,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/ex-criminology-professor-jailed-5-years-arson-spree-during-dixie-fires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA Santa Clara University colleague of Mr. Maynard, who was not identified, told the police in October 2020 that Mr. Maynard was struggling with anxiety, depression, split personality, and wanted to kill himself, the complaint said,\u201d according to The Times.<\/p>\n<p>You can read the news release from the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Eastern District of California below in its entirety.<\/p>\n<p><em>Gary Stephen Maynard, 49, of San Jose, was sentenced today to five years and three months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $13,081 in restitution for three counts of arson on federal property, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cMaynard went on an arson spree on federal land while California faced one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hawaii-utility-pursued-green-energy-goals-while-fire-mitigation-projects-were-delayed\/\" title=\"Hawaii utility focused on green energy, delayed fire mitigation.\">worst fire seasons<\/a> in history. 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,\u201d said U.S.\u00a0 Attorney Talbert. \u201cIt is only because of the quick response by the U.S. Forest Service \u2014 and the actions of civilian witnesses \u2014 that those fires were extinguished as quickly as they were. Today\u2019s sentence underscores the danger that Maynard\u2019s fires created and serves as a reminder that federal law enforcement takes seriously the threats to life, property, and our national forests caused by arson.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>U.S. Forest Service Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tony Magarrell praises the actions of his Agents and fellow cooperating law enforcement agencies who identified Maynard early in the investigation, \u201cThese actions led to the quick arrest of Maynard before more damage was done to Forest Service lands and increasing the threat of firefighter lives. This is a great example of how cooperation between law enforcement agencies serves our public and makes us safe.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>According to court documents, Maynard set a series of fires in the Shasta Trinity National Forest and in the vicinity of the then-ongoing Dixie Fire in the Lassen National Forest. Maynard set some of his fires behind firefighters who were actively fighting the Dixie Fire, effectively surrounding these firefighters as they responded to one of the largest wildfires in California history. Maynard admitted to setting the following fires during this arson spree: the Cascade Fire (July 20, 2021), the Everitt Fire (July 21, 2021), the Ranch Fire (Aug. 7, 2021), and the Conard Fire (Aug. 7, 2021).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, and the Lassen County Sheriff\u2019s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shea J. Kenny and Sam Stefanki prosecuted the case.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>That wasn\u2019t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>All of this means that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, it\u2019s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-rises-as-he-promises-hes-only-begun-to-fight-put-on-full-armor-of-god-to-fight-the-left\/\" title=\"DeSantis Rises As He Promises He\u2019s \u2018Only Begun To Fight\u2019: \u2018Put On Full Armor Of God\u2019 To Fight The Left\">fight back hard<\/a>, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Can we count on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>your support<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44802\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/georgeupper\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44802\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44802\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44802\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44802\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of &#8220;WJ Live,&#8221; powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor&#8217;s and master&#8217;s degrees in English as well as a Master&#8217;s in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma. <\/p>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Foxborough, Massachusetts <\/p>\n<p>  Nationality <\/p>\n<p>  American <\/p>\n<p>  Honors\/Awards <\/p>\n<p>  Beta Gamma Sigma <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  B.A., English, UNCG; M.A., English, UNCG; MBA, UNCG <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  North Carolina <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Faith, Business, Leadership and Management, Military, Politics <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former lecturer on criminal justice issues sentenced to over five years in prison for endangering firefighters in fatal blaze. The professor&#8217;s actions could have trapped responders in a deadly fire, leading to a severe sentence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2010,"featured_media":2257485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Dixie-Fire-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2257484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Dixie-Fire-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2257484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2257484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2257485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2257484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2257484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2257484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}