SACRAMENTO, Calif. January 12, 2021 – Sharon Ann Perkins, 39, pleaded guilty today to setting fire to lands owned by the United States, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, on Sept. 15, 2020, Perkins intentionally set two wildland fires in the Tahoe National Forest near Camptonville in Yuba County. At the time, all United States Forest Service lands in California were subject to emergency fire restrictions due to extreme fire risk across the state. Perkins set the fires using gasoline and articles of clothing. Perkins admitted that she started the fires in an attempt to burn down a travel-trailer in which she and her husband had been illegally camping.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service and the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.
Perkins is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on April 13. Perkins faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.