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Dec. 01--RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- A U.S. Forest Service firefighter living in Hesperia was sentenced to two years in state prison for arson on forest land.
Daniel Mariano Madrigal, 26, was accused of setting fire and burning one-tenth of an acre on July 25, 2010 near San Antonio Dam where he was stationed. He was arrested in November 2010, at his Hesperia home in the 8500 block of Daybreak Court, according to San Bernardino County Sheriff's inmate records.
Spokesma n Christopher Lee of the San Bernardino County District Attorney's office said the prosecution was ready to go to trial Monday, but Madrigal's attorney asked for a plea bargain. Madrigal agreed to the two -- year prison term and waiving all the credit time he earned in jail.
The defendant pleaded no contest to one felony count of arson to forest land. Judge Michael Sachs of Rancho Cucamonga court immediately sentenced him according to the plea agreement. Madrigal will have to register as an arsonist, Lee said.
Madrigal claimed that it was a smoking accident, Lee said, and the defendant reported it to his station when the flames spread. Salvador Silva , Madrigal's attorney, said Wednesday he had no comment on the case.
Tomoya Shimura may be reached at (760) 955-5368 or TShimura@ VVDailyPress.com. Follow Tomoya on Facebook at facebook com/ShimuraTomoya.
