The man charged with starting last year’s Boles Fire in Weed pleaded guilty Wednesday in Siskiyou County Superior Court.
The Redding Record Searchlight reports that 25-year-old Ronald Marshall of Weed made the plea during a pretrial conference.
Marshall originally pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of arson, but changed his plea Wednesday. His attorney, John Lawrence of Yreka, has asked for a change of venue due to the extreme publicity surrounding the case.
The Boles Fire swept through Weed last September and burned 516 acres, leaving many residents homeless. It also damaged a building at the Weed Elementary School and the town’s Catholic church.
Marshall is currently in the Siskiyou County Jail in lieu of $2.5 million bail.