SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Columbus man is accused of setting fires in two California forests.
Gary Maynard, 47, committed several arsons in the area of Lassen National Forest and Shasta Trinity National Forest in the past month, according to a criminal complaint filed in Sacramento.
The complaint says Maynard chose to set his fires near the ongoing Dixie fire, the second-largest fire in the state's history.
The fire is still going despite thousands of fire personnel working to contain it.
The complaint also says Maynard entered the evacuation zone and set the fires behind first responders fighting the Dixie fire, putting them in an increased danger as well as potentially enlarging the flames and threatening lives and property.
"Maynard’s fires were placed in the perfect position to increase the risk of firefighters being trapped between fires. But for the dedication and efforts of U.S. Forest Service investigators working around the clock to track Maynard, those fires would not have been discovered in their infancy," the complaint says.
According to an archive with Sonoma State University, Maynard is from Columbus and graduated from Bowling Green State University.
The complaint says Maynard was living out of his car, traveling across northern California and was struggling to hold a teaching job at several universities in the state.
A spokesperson from Sonoma State University said Maynard was contracted to temporarily fill in for a faculty member who was on leave and taught two seminars in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies in fall 2020.
"Gary Maynard does not currently have an appointment with Sonoma State University. He was a part-time lecturer in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. He was employed with Sonoma State University in Fall 2020, but did not have an appointment for Spring 2021," the university said in a statement.
According to Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, Maynard is not eligible for bail.
