A jury has found Ronnie Dean Stout II, a 42-year-old registered sex offender, guilty of intentionally starting one of California's most destructive wildfires. The conviction on Friday in Butte County Superior Court stems from the Park Fire, which ignited on July 24, 2024.
Prosecutors alleged that Stout pushed a burning 2007 Toyota Yaris into a ravine in Bidwell Park near Chico, igniting nearby dry vegetation. The fire rapidly spread, ultimately burning approximately 430,000 acres and destroying 713 structures across Butte and Tehama counties, according to CAL FIRE. The blaze ranks as the fourth largest wildfire in the state's recorded history.
Stout faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life under California's three-strikes law due to two prior felony convictions. In 2001, he was convicted of sex crimes against a child under 14 and served a year in jail. A year later, he was convicted of robbery with great bodily injury and received a 20-year prison sentence.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Stout should have known the danger of driving a vehicle into dry grass on a red flag warning day. "This was a disaster waiting to happen," said Mark Noel of the Butte County District Attorney's Office. "All it needed was a source, and Mr. Stout was that source."
Stout reportedly told investigators that his car had gone over a berm after he pulled off the road. Cellphone data indicated he was texting his girlfriend at the time, and witnesses described his driving as reckless prior to the fire's ignition.
The central question in the legal case revolved around how the car ended up in the ravine. Witness Elizabeth Fox testified that she saw Stout push the vehicle and later recorded video of him leaving the area calmly after the fire started. This video was shared online.
Stout's public defender, Nicole Diamond, challenged Fox's testimony, suggesting she made assumptions and that the prosecution's case relied heavily on her account. Diamond noted that Fox had disclosed mental health issues, including PTSD from surviving the 2018 Camp Fire, and suggested accidental mechanical failure as a possibility. She also argued Stout's actions could not be deemed reckless if he was unaware of the danger.
CAL FIRE investigator Matthew Palade testified that heat from the Toyota caused the dry brush beneath it to ignite. Palade stated that Stout asked him, "What did I do wrong, bro?" when contacted by investigators about three hours after the fire was reported.
Butte County Superior Court Judge Kristen Lucena, who presided over the bench trial, found Stout had the intent for willful arson. She commended the citizen witnesses whose testimony corroborated key elements of the case, even while acknowledging some assumptions made by Fox. Stout is scheduled to be sentenced on October 9, and the District Attorney's Office is currently collecting victim impact statements.