The California wildfires seem to have been started by a sociology professor specializing in criminal justice, cults and deviant behavior.
Guy was a part time lecturer filling in for a contractor on leave at one university, adjunct faculty in the second, had a tracking device placed on his car (what the fuck), is alleged to have set fires near to the Dixie fire (but not the progenitor of), but is actually being charged specifically for the
Ranch/River fire. He's suspected involved with the Cascade fire (which was 100-200 sqft, or about the size of a shed, which is still an awful thing to find in a national forest) because his car was caught in a ditch nearby and didn't comply with forest service's questionings. This being back in July
2020 2021, approximately when tracking and investigation started.
Also, because he was uncooperative and angry and maybe had a large knife according to a witness. And also because he appeared mentally unstable(alleging anxiety, depression, split personality, and suicidal tendencies) and was suspected of living out of his car since October 2020 (according to a colleague, also I'd imagine things were difficult for educators with the pandemic at this time), which lead to tracking his EBT exchanges, phone records, store video recordings, the car tracker (NPR indicated 260 miles of travel in a week), the lattermost of which placed his car near the Conard fire. The order for detainment came only on Tuesday the 7th, or five days ago, with the judge voicing mental health concerns (took until now to do something about mental health concerns?), and the Ranch fire having been started back in August.
Here's the NBC article, if you'd like another source, or
NPR.
So no, the wildfires plural were not started by this guy, nor was the massive Dixie fire set by this guy. He's accused of starting the Ranch fire and might be connected to the Conard fire. Yes he's a sociology/criminology professor or lecturer, no fuckin' clue where any of this about cults or
deviant behavior (NPR clarifies they got this from the Sonoma State University faculty bio) came from.
That's half an hour I won't get back to disentangle that headline, thanks. The NPR article must more clearly elaborates on the timeline and potential other fires, according to the affidavit.
Edit the millionth: I guess, if I had to boil all this down,it's the I have no idea what it being a sociology professor has to do with anything and the NPR article is much better than the Sacramento Bee one, and that the guy's potential underlying mental health problems were probably exacerbated by the pandemic.
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Topic: Things that made you go "WTF?" today o_O (Read 14840788 times)