Rickie Lee Fowler Pleads Not Guilty to Arson and Five Counts of Murder in Connection With 2003′s Old Fire
November 12, 2009 by Catherine Sandstrom
Filed under Current News, Fire/Safety, Government, San Bernardino National Forest
Fowler's bail was set at one million dollars today.
The defendant accused of setting 2003’s Old Fire, 28-year-old Rickie Lee Fowler of San Bernardino, was arraigned in San Bernardino Superior Court today, on five counts of Murder, one count of Arson of an Inhabited Structure or Property, and one count of Aggravated Arson. Fowler appeared before Judge Brian McCarville, and pleaded not guilty to all counts. Fowler had been arrested on October 20, just days before the six-year anniversary of the Old Fire, which accounted for the burning of 91,000 acres, damage to nearly 1,000 homes, and the evacuation of 30 communities, including the Big Bear Valley. Fowler (who, since the fire, had been serving time in Lancaster State Prison on a burglary conviction) has a pre-trial hearing set for November 30; per District Attorney Michael Ramos, his bail has been set at $1,000,000.
Related posts:
- San Bernardino Man Charged With Murder and Arson for the Old Fire of October 2003
- Fire Investigators Suspect Arson in Wednesday’s Structure Fire in Baldwin Lake
- Jim Erwin, Supervisor Derry’s Chief of Staff, Arrested on 10 Felony Counts Today
- Sixteen-Year-Old Arrested for Arson; Yucaipa’s Crafton Fire Prompts College Closure, Though All Highways Remain Open
- BBHS Student Preston Pleads Not Guilty to Charges Stemming from Last Week’s Fight on Campus
After graduating from BBHS, Catherine moved to Los Angeles to attend Loyola Marymount University. In her 20 years off the mountain, most recently in Manhattan Beach, Catherine's career has included publishing, broadcasting, public relations and public education; she served as KBHR's News Director from April 2007 to July 2010.
