Former Sonoma State criminal justice professor accused of setting fires near Dixie Fire
A man who taught criminal justice at Sonoma State University is accused of setting fires around the Dixie fire and in Shasta County.
Gary Maynard, 47, was arrested on Saturday. He is charged with setting fire to public land.
He is accused of setting the Ranch Fire in Lassen County, as well.
The Dixie Fire has grown roughly 5,000 acres since Monday night, and has burned more than 490,000 acres. It is 27 percent contained.
The suspect also has ties to Santa Clara University and once lived in San Jose. He is currently at the Sacramento Main Jail and is being held without bail.
A federal criminal complaint shows that U.S. Forest Agents started investigating Maynard on July 20, the same day as the Cascade Fire. Investigators eventually placed a tracking device on his car after a witness at the fire claims they saw Maynard come from the area where the fire sparked.
"Witness 1 believed the man was mentally unstable, describing the man as, 'mumbling a lot and having bipolar-like behavior,'" the court documents detailed.
During the investigation into the Cascade Fire, authorities found evidence of additional fires.
"The two small ground fires were each determined to be acts of arson and, indeed, classified as two additional arson fires," wrote one investigator.
Tracking equipment showed Maynard in the area where the Ranch Fire was ignited. Tire tracks also matched his car.
Investigators claim Maynard set the fire but are unaware of what he used to start it.
According to court records, Maynard was living out of his car and traveling alone across a large section of Northern California.