Palisades Fire Suspect Jonathan Rinderknecht Arrested

EXCERPT:

ESSAYLI: “Good morning. I’m Bill Essayli, the Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California. Today we are announcing the arrest of 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht for igniting a fire that ultimately burned down the Palisades earlier this year, killing 11 people, destroying more than 6,800 structures, both homes and businesses, and damaging over 1,000 more buildings. The complaint unsealed today charges the defendant with destruction of property by means of fire, a felony that carries a mandatory minimum five-year federal prison sentence and is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison. The defendant was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint near his Florida residence, and he’s expected to make his initial appearance today in the federal court in Orlando, Florida. I stress that the complaint contains allegations and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.”