Criminal Law Keyed to Weaver
People v. Atkins
Facts
Robert Atkins (Defendant) told his friends that he was going to burn down the house of Orville Figgs. The next day, a fire was reported in the canyon where Figgs lived. A soil sample collected by the fire marshal revealed the presence of gasoline, and Defendant’s wallet was found near the site where the fire had originated. When interviewed by the fire marshal, Defendant said that he and his brother had been drinking all day and then drove to the canyon and kept drinking. Defendant said that the area was overgrown with weeds, which he decided to burn with gasoline. The fire spread quickly, and after Defendant and his brother tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire, they panicked and fled. Defendant said that he did not mean any harm by setting the fire, and maintained that the fire was an accident. Defendant was subsequently charged with arson of forest land.
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