Overview
- A Butte County court returned a guilty finding for Ronnie Dean Stout II on Friday, July 24, 2026, in the case over the Park Fire that began two years earlier.
- Prosecutors said witnesses and investigators showed Stout pushed a burning car into vegetation near Alligator Hole in Upper Bidwell Park and that his actions ignited the blaze.
- Stout’s defense said the car ignited accidentally after getting stuck in grass and denied any deliberate pushing of the vehicle into the gully.
- Sentencing is set for October 9, 2026, and prosecutors say the conviction could carry a 25-years-to-life term if counted as a third-strike offense under California law.
- The Park Fire burned about 429,603 acres, destroyed hundreds of structures and forced mass evacuations, making it one of California’s largest wildfires and a major source of community loss and disruption.