Malibu Wildfire Suspects Have Bail Requirements Removed by the Court

• Prosecution Objections on Two Los Angeles Men Were Overruled

BY ANNE SOBLE

The two Culver City men charged with starting a bonfire in a mountaintop rave cave that led to last November’s devastating Corral Fire pled not guilty in Van Nuys Superior Court last Thursday. A preliminary hearing for the pair was scheduled for Feb. 26, 2009, in the same courthouse.
In addition, bail requirements were removed, or exonerated, for Dean Lavorante, 20, and Eric Ullman, 19, and the pair were released on their own recognizance.
They are two of five men charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office with three felony counts of recklessly starting a fire during high wind conditions and a declared emergency. Each count carries a possible sentence of between two-to-four years.
Charges were filed separately against the Culver pair, as they were reportedly chased from the cave when three men from Los Angeles arrived. The L.A. trio are alleged to have expanded the original bonfire, allowing it to spiral out of control and ignite nearby vegetation, leading to the blaze that claimed 53 homes.
At a bail hearing held last Friday, bail requirements were terminated for the two L.A. men, Brian Anderson, 23, and William Coppock, 24, who originally were required to post bond. Despite vigorous prosecution protest, they were also released on their own recognizance, or OR’d.
The lead prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Ann Ambrose, objected to the removal of bail for the two men because Anderson’s and Coppock’s “conduct was more egregious,” according to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.
The third Los Angeles defendant, Brian Franks, 28, had been OR’d earlier this year, after having spent time in jail because he could not afford to post bond.
In September, Franks agreed to turn state’s evidence and pled guilty to one felony charge of recklessly causing a fire. His sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 26.
A large contingent of Malibuites from the Corral wildfire area, burnouts and their neighbors, are attending proceedings and intend to play a part in the legal process.