Woman convicted for fires in Tahoe National Forest as wildfires threatened California
A woman has been convicted of intentionally starting two fires in Tahoe National Forest to burn down a trailer she and her husband were living in as federal lands throughout California were under an extreme threat by wildfires.
Sharon Ann Perkins faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison a $250,000 fine, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento. She is scheduled to be sentenced U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on April 13.
Perkins, 39, pleaded guilty Tuesday to setting fire to lands owned by the United States. Federal prosecutors said Perkins on Sept. 15 intentionally set two wildland fires in Tahoe National Forest near Camptonville in Yuba County.
At the time, all U.S. Forest Service lands in California were under emergency fire restrictions due to extreme wildfire risk across the state, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Perkins started the fires using gasoline and clothing, and she has admitted she started the fires to try to burn down a travel-trailer in which she and her husband had been illegally camping.
The case against Perkins was the result of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service and the Yuba County Sheriff’s Office.
