From a U.S. Forest Service news release issued on Tuesday, May 19:
SONORA, Calif., May 19, 2009—Tuolumne Superior Court Judge Douglas Boyack has found probable cause for Gregory William Livingston to stand trial on three counts of arson. Livingston is charged with deliberately setting a series of fires on the Stanislaus National Forest on September 6, 2008. The charges are felonies and are punishable by terms in state prison under California law. Livingston was arrested in April 2009.
The U.S. Forest Service Office of Law Enforcement and Investigations allege that Livingston intentionally started the River, Side, and Buchanan fires within hours of each other on the same day. Livingston, a former seasonal Forest Service firefighter, resigned from his position with the Stanislaus Hot Shots due to medical reasons in June 2008. In addition to the criminal charges, Livingston could be held liable for the fire suppression costs.
