Fresno man sentenced to 24 years in prison for starting Dolan Fire
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) UPDATE MAY 18th, 2022, at 3:28 p.m.-- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannie M. Pacioni announced in court today that a man found guilty of starting the Dolan Fire in 2020 was sentenced to 24 years in prison.
Ivan Gomez, 31, was sentenced to 9 years for causing the arson, causing severe injury to a firefighter, with an added five-year enhancement for destroying 14 structures, including residences. Gomez was also sentenced for arson of the Los Padres National Forest, throwing rocks at a vehicle, cultivating marijuana, and 12 counts of cruelty to animals for killing multiple condors that perished in the fire. In total, he was found guilty of 16 felony counts, according to the District Attorney's Office.
At the defendant’s trial the evidence established that on August 18, 2020, at approximately 8:15 pm
Jeannie M. Pacioni
California State Parks and Recreation officers observed a fire cresting the ridgeline known as “top
of the world” in the Los Padres National Forest. At approximately the same time, officers were
dispatched to a man throwing rocks at vehicles on Highway 1 and the Lime Creek Bridge. When
officers contacted this man, later identified as Ivan Gomez, he stated he had started the fire at an
illegal marijuana grow on the other side of the ridge and killed 5 men.
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UPDATE APRIL 7th, 2022 at 5:33 p.m.-- A Monterey County judge has found a suspect in starting the Dolan Fire guilty on Thursday.
Ivan Gomez was found guilty of 16 felony counts.
Both the defense and prosecution gave their closing arguments on Thursday.
After two years, the judge agreed with prosecutors that Ivan Gomez did indeed start the Dolan Fire that burned along the Big Sur coast.
For almost 2 hours, the defense and prosecution gave their arguments.
“It has been a long two weeks,” said Deputy District Attorney Meredith Sillman. “There were a number of witnesses, investigators, defense experts that testified throughout the trial.”
Court documents showed, that Gomez was detained by park rangers after it was reported he was seen throwing rocks at cars along Highway 1. During Thursday's preceding, the prosecution said it had enough testimony and evidence against Gomez.
But the defense attorney in the case argued that Gomez’s statements were inconsistent, as he would switch back and forth between admitting to starting the fire to denying it.
“We absolutely believe that justice was found today and justice for the people of Big Sur and justice for the fighters,” said Sillman. “All of those folks who lost their homes, lost their lands, had to evacuate.”
Defense Attorney Michael Belter, who represented Gomez in this case, told KION while he’s disappointed in the outcome, he respects the court’s ruling and will be asking for the minimum sentencing because Gomez has no priors.
The Big Sur Volunteer Fire Brigade was one of the first agencies on scene. KION reached out to the agency on Thursday's ruling.
“I want to give praise to the justice system in Monterey County for taking the time necessary to search out all the facts and taking the time necessary to reach a decision,” said Chief Matt Harris.
Harris said he hopes Thursday’s outcome will bring closure to the communities that were affected by the Dolan Fire.
Gomez returns to court on May 18th for his sentencing hearing.
ORIGINAL STORY
On Wednesday, Ivan Gomez, a 30-year-old Fresno man, accused of igniting the Dolan Fire appeared back in court.
The Dolan Fire shut down much of Highway 1 along the Big Sur Coast back in 2020.
Two law enforcement officers with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office testified.
A sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office said he went back to the grow site to investigate it and search for any dead persons.
READ MORE: Man suspected of starting Dolan Fire in Big Sur facing new charges
He described the site as an illegal grow. He also said because of dams, fertilizer, and trash at the camp it could be harmful to the environment.
The sergeant also said a team of people spent days in the forest, trying to find any dead persons. The team also included a detective and two volunteers from a search and rescue group in Santa Clara County.
The group spent four days and three nights in the forest.
During that time, they did not locate any bodies.
One of the detectives who interviewed Gomez also testified on Wednesday. He told the court the interview took about three hours at the time.
He said that Gomez admitted to starting the fire.
Gomez reportedly told detectives that he started the fire by using a lighter.
On Monday, firefighters testified in the case. Tuesday, the fire investigator testified.
Gomez is charged with 16 felony counts. including aggravated arson, arson causing bodily injury, and planting and cultivating marijuana.
Gomez is pleading not guilty to all charges. His bail is still set at two million dollars.
The attorney’s for Gomez are expected to start calling witnesses next week.
The Dolan Fire burned more than 124,000 acres, and was fully contained in December 2020.
