Man accused of setting what became the Palisades fire makes 1st courtroom appearance
Jonathan Rinderknecht accused of setting a blaze that became the destructive Palisades fire yearned to talk to the U S District Court judge in downtown Los Angeles about being locked up After arguments U S Magistrate Judge Rozella A Oliver had decided he would not be given the chance for bail Related Articles The bulk essential things Bay Area residents can do to protect their home against wildfires As wildfires scorch California should insurers divest from fossil fuels New California laws aim to ease ongoing home insurance dilemma AI-powered Bay Area home insurance startup expands in risky markets Lawyer representing man accused of starting fatal California fire has represented star NBA players Can I certainly say something about the detainment the -year-old stated Thursday afternoon Oct before his attorney Steve Haney cut him off and solicited Judge Oliver for a break to speak to Rinderknecht in private Ten minutes later Rinderknecht returned extended his left hand to a hand sanitizer bottle and wiped his hands behind his back Both he and Haney then responded Not guilty to federal charges of destruction of property by means of fire arson of buildings used in interstate commerce and setting timber afire As Rinderknecht in a white jumpsuit was led out of the courtroom he appeared to softly shake his head His next court appearance was scheduled for Nov and a tentative trial date was set for Dec If convicted as charged he faces five to years in prison Outside court Haney declared of Rinderknecht s outburst He s frustrated A lot of frustration He s a young man he s not really clear why he s in jail and there s a lot of frustration and anxiety right now the lawyer reported Rinderknecht was arrested in Melbourne Florida on Oct with prosecutors announcing certain of the evidence against him two days later He has been in custody since In an Orlando Florida courtroom prosecutors described Rinderknecht as a loner who was falling out with friends in California and had broken up with his girlfriend before he was accused of starting the Lachman fire in the Pacific Palisades shortly after midnight on New Year s Day Los Angeles city firefighters thought they put out the fire hours later but picked up their hoses the following day not knowing the fire continued to smolder underground prosecutors explained Why are they blaming him for what the Fire Department didn t do Haney requested on Thursday in reference to the time between the two fires When required whether Rinderknecht explained Haney that he didn t start the Lachman fire Haney announced he could not share privileged attorney-client discussions On Jan fierce winds kicked up the original blaze which became the Palisades fire The blaze killed people and damaged or destroyed nearly structures before it was fully contained on Jan Shortly before the first fire prosecutors stated Rinderknecht was working for Uber and had dropped off his last customer about p m on Dec He drove to the Skull Rock trailhead and attempted to call his ex-girlfriend but she did not pick up He then walked up the trail to the Hidden Buddha clearing where he took videos of the view and listened to a French rap song before prosecutors allege he started the fire with an open flame likely a lighter Rinderknecht then allegedly tried calling multiple times from the clearing to description the fire but could not get a signal He reached a dispatcher after walking back down the trail to his car and drove off but returned to watch the firefighters battle the fire prosecutors mentioned A pair of Uber customers would tell federal agents that Rinderknecht appeared agitated and angry that night and a former roommate of Rinderknecht s recounted investigators that they had spent a lot of time at the Hidden Buddha clearing Rinderknecht who is from Florida lived in Pacific Palisades and Hollywood before moving back to Florida months after the Palisades fire Prosecutors explained that his cellphone GPS coordinates placed him in the clearing about feet from the fire when he first tried to call Haney Rinderknecht s attorney has noted his client is merely a scapegoat and the fact that federal officials are trying to hold him criminally liable for the failure of others is preposterous
