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A Montana man pleaded not guilty today to sparking the 30,000-acre Robertson Draw Fire south of Red Lodge last month.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Robertson Draw fire burning south of Red Lodge is 69 percent contained.
The state is charging John Lightburn of Bridger with two counts of felony negligent arson. He’s also accused of misdemeanor criminal mischief. He appeared in Carbon County District Court on Wednesday before Judge Matthew Wald, who continued his bail of $7,500. Lightburn pleaded not guilty to all accusations.
Prosecutors say the 55-year-old sparked the flame when fixing his motorbike in an area of the Custer Gallatin National Forest that is off-limits to motor vehicle traffic. Lightburn had been riding the bike there before the incident, court documents say.
Robertson Draw Fire
A Montana man pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to sparking the 30,000-acre Robertson Draw Fire south of Red Lodge last month.
The state is charging John Lightburn of Bridger with two counts of felony negligent arson. He’s also accused of misdemeanor criminal mischief. He appeared in Carbon County District Court on Wednesday before Judge Matthew Wald, who continued his bail of $7,500. Lightburn pleaded not guilty to all accusations.
Prosecutors say the 55-year-old sparked the flame when fixing his motorbike in an area of the Custer Gallatin National Forest that is off-limits to motor vehicle traffic. Lightburn had been riding the bike there before the incident, court documents say.
A 55-year-old man from Bridger who admitted spilling and igniting gasoline while repairing a dirt bike on U.S. Forest Service land has been charged with causing the Robertson Draw fire, which has burned 29,601 acres south of Red Lodge.Â
John Lightburn was arrested on a warrant issued by Carbon County Attorney Alex Nixon, the Carbon County Sheriff s Office announced in a press release Thursday.
According to an affidavit filed in Carbon County District Court on Wednesday, Lightburn had been riding a dirt bike off trail near the base of Mount Maurice at 10 a.m. on June 13. The path, on U.S. Forest Service land, was closed to motorized vehicles.
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