Los Osos man facing prison time for burning his own home

September 22, 2016

Los Osos Fire 1

Mark Hannah

Mark Hannah

On top of destroying his own home and suffering third-degree burns on 30 percent of his body, a Los Osos man is now facing prison time — up to eight years and eight months.

On Wednesday, a San Luis Obispo jury convicted Mark Warren Hannah, 48, of felony arson and two counts of felony resisting officers by threat or violence. The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office says all three of the charges stemmed from Feb. 8 when Hannah burned his home and resisted deputies who responded to the scene.

In its press release, the district attorney’s office did not mention any findings relating to Hannah’s sanity. Before Hannah set fire to his home, Hannah’s family requested multiple times that sheriff’s deputies check on him due to his mental state.

Hannah’s family first requested the sheriff’s office check on Hannah on Feb. 6. Deputies then knocked on the door of Hannah’s home in the 600 block of Woodland Drive, but no one answered, and they left.

On Feb. 8, Hannah’s family again asked for help. Deputies arrived as Hannah was driving away from his home and followed him onto Los Osos Valley Road, where they attempted to pull him over. But, Hannah ignored the patrol vehicle’s flashing lights, and since he had not committed a crime, the deputies terminated their pursuit.

Shortly before 4 p.m. that day, Hannah lit a room inside his home on fire. By the time deputies arrived, Hannah was standing in his backyard with burns to his torso, face, feet and hands. His home was destroyed.

Emergency personnel transported Hannah to a burn center in Fresno where he was treated for third-degree burns over 30 percent of his body.  After Hannah spent nearly a month in the burn center, deputies arrested him and booked him in San Luis Obispo County Jail on charges of arson an evading an officer.

Hannah’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 27. The Los Osos man was tried in Judge John Trice’s courtroom.


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Sorry but Dan Dauo and co. are a bunch of overzealous idiots. Don’t ya think that maybe this guy is a little unstable just by the fact he burnt his home down and burned himself in the process? Recall our assinine da. More and more I think most government employees are not right in the head.


Get ready to keep on payin’. An addict with half a brain left goes to a lawyer and gets “crazy pay” from Social Security for life. This means your drug use and psychopathology prevents you from holding a job, ergo “disabled”. They brag about this accomplishment in bars and hold parties. It’s a sweet deal. The provision in Social Security was to provide benefits to truly disabled people, such as those with cerebral palsy etc., who could not be realistically expected to work.


Genius…pure genius!


Let me get this straight. This man was obviously unstable for whatever reason. He spent a month in a burn center and his house is gone. Now taxpayer dollars have been spent to try him in the court system and then incarcerate him for a period of time. He will come out more unstable, unable to get a job, etc. As a taxpayer, I would rather spend the money on strengthening this man and helping him get better. Our system is such a joke. We tear people down. When we do this, all of society suffers.


IMHO, the cops caused this by needlessly, and apparent unlawfully, pursuing this unstable man with their lights on. Once again, LEO showing they good for nothing but causing trouble. All police are a useless waste of taxpayer money.


A very humble opinion you do have there sir.


Nice, release rapists, murders & terrorists after some putz attorney gets them off on a insanity plea. This guy is obviously not right mentally, and he gets 8 years for roasting his own home?

F me running, what has our legal system become?


Most likely he has a home loan. If that is the case, then it is not legally his home yet. Bank owns mortgage and hence he burned their property and investment. NOT saying for all you that want to jump on this, that I don’t agree that he needs help, just that, that is the most likely reason for the felony charge, is destruction of another’s property, like it or not.