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Criminal justice professor indicted for starting California fires

November 19, 2021

Gary Stephen Maynard

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted a former criminal justice professor with starting four fires in Northern California within a span of three weeks during July and August.

Gary Stephen Maynard, 47, of San Jose allegedly committed the arson spree in the vicinity of the Dixie Fire as it was burning this summer in the areas of Shasta Trinity National Forest and Lassen National Forest. The Dixie Fire, which burned in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta and Tehama counties, was the second largest wildfire in California history.

Maynard allegedly set the Cascade Fire on July 20, the Everitt Fire on July 21, the Ranch Fire on Aug. 7 and the Conard Fire on Aug. 7. Some of the blazes Maynard set were behind the firefighters battling the Dixie Fire, according to the Department of Justice.

The grand jury charged Maynard with four counts of arson to federal property and one count of setting timber on fire.

Arson to federal property is punishable by a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. If convicted, Maynard will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of arson.

In a news release announcing the grand jury indictment, the Eastern District of California United States Attorney’s Office referred to Maynard as a “professor-arsonist.” Maynard worked as a lecturer at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University in 2019 and 2020.

Maynard taught in Sonoma State’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies in the fall 2020 semester. Maynard’s previous teaching and research focused on topics including sociology of technology; sociology of drug abuse and alcoholism; and deviance and crime, according to Sonoma State University.


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Unfortunately Smokey the Bear wasn’t around to eat him.


13

Incredibly disturbing… at least we know how these ones were started. Makes me feel a sliver of comfort knowing CA isn’t spontaneously combusting every year. Sadly most of our fire issues are related to criminally insane arsonists, criminally negligent power company, sloppy campers who don’t respect burn bans.


13

This one is deeply disturbing. Please tell me his DNA is on file. Was his original goal to be a criminology professor or to study his craft.


16

Criminal? Justice? Let’s see what happens Mr. Maynard.


15

The story is missing something…the reason he did it…its not a full news story without that information…is he a global warming activist?…that would make him an ecoterrorist….and that is newsworthy…


4

I was interested too. But a careful read shows that this is a ‘grand jury indictment’. Not too many folks really understand the law, (I sure don’t!) but my understanding is that a grand jury hears an argument from a federal prosecutor that wants to bring a case to court. So this does not mean he’s been convicted, just that the prosecution has a case that could go to court and win. Most interestingly, the details of a grand jury’s deliberations, including the evidence presented to them by the prosecution, is not public record. So the reporter can’t say anything about the why or how, even if they know (which they probably don’t). Grand jury’s often make the news when they choose NOT to send a case to court, often a case involving a policeman shooting someone for example. Everyone wants to know why the government isn’t going to prosecute in a situation like that.


2

I see…thanks for that information that makes sense…


1

What a sick individual. I think about all of the lives he threatened, especially the firefighters with this sick coward starting other fires behind them, while the firefighter’s battled existing fires. What about attempted murder charges? Make him pay for part of the damages by taking all of his state pension and giving it to property owner’s who lost their belongings. What a nut job. Think about this, he was teaching at state universities. My goodness, what the hell is happening with these educator’s at all levels?


29

This idiot will get a first hand experience of the justice system from inside a prison , don’t drop the soap in the shower professor.


25

I lived in Plumas County 30 years ago. It was a rare and beautiful place: 90 miles to the nearest stoplight, abundant wildlife, and few tourists. Seeing the destruction of this area really hit me hard.


A maximum sentence of 20 years seems inadequate for the damage these fires caused. The forests will not be back in twenty years, the historic towns will never be the same, many peoples’ lives were totally and irreversibly disrupted and even destroyed. I hope the collateral damages to these people, their communities, and the wildlife will also be considered or somehow added to the charges. But at least this is a start.


54

As per usual there’s NO Justice!


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