Former Minnesota Chief Pleads Guilty to Arson

Posted by: Curt Varone November 24, 2013 0

A former Minnesota fire chief has pled guilty to federal arson charges. Ryan Scharber, formerly the fire chief for the City of Babbitt, pled guilty in US District Court last Friday to two charges: one count of setting fires on federal wildands and one count of attempted arson.

Scharber, 30, faces up to 20 years on the arson charge and 5 years on the attempt charge. Both charges arose out of incidents that occurred in 2011.

More on the story.

Here are more details about the fires.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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