Emmett Man Charged in BLM Fire
BOISE – Matthew Williams, 23, of Emmett, Idaho, pleaded not guilty today in United States District Court to the charge of Public Land Set Afire, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. A federal grand jury in Boise indicted Williams on February 12, 2013.
According to court documents, Williams is accused of illegally setting a fire on federal public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Gem County on August 20, 2011. The indictment alleges that the wildfire burned a total of 315 acres – 221 BLM acres and 94 private land acres – southwest of Emmett on Freezeout Hill, near mile post 11 on State Highway 16.
The charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release.
A trial is set for April 22, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill.
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