The Stonyford man who accidentally started a vegetation fire in Stonyford on June 30 was treated leniently on Monday, but with a stern warning from Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Thompson to take better care of his fellow man.
Karl Kristofors, 68, admitted, when he pleaded to one felony count of recklessly causing a fire, that he was burning trash in a fire pit behind his house when the fire spread in the dry vegetation to neighboring structures.
Fire agencies had responded to multiple fires near Market Street in Stonyford just before 4 PM, on June 30, which led to Kristofors arrest.
Kristofors was facing a recommended sentence of up to three years in prison, but Thompson showed leniency because the fire was not intentional and Kristofors has no felony criminal history.
While Thompson said Kristofors’ conduct was egregious in that his recklessness caused devastation and tragedy to other people, he sentenced the Stonyford resident to 24 months probation and told him it is one’s responsibility to look after other people. â–