A U.S. Border Patrol agent pled guilty in federal court Friday to starting a large fire in southern Arizona in 2017.
Dennis Dickey was also ordered to pay $8,188,069 in restitution. As part of the agreement, he agreed to make an initial payment of $100,000 dollars. He was charged with a federal misdemeanor of starting a fire without a permit.
Dickey was off-duty when he started the 47,000-acre fire in southern Arizona in early 2017. He set up a homemade target packed with an explosive then fired at it with a rifle.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated the fire caused more than $8 million in damage before it was extinguished.
