Bottle rocket man pleads no contest
A late item:
A man who lit a bottle rocket inside his Glendale apartment and sparked a blaze post-Fourth of July that destroyed his building has pleaded no contest Tuesday to criminal charges.
Kevin Carpenter entered his plea to two felony counts of recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure, and was sentenced to one year in county jail and three years probation, said Jane Robison of the District Attorney’s Office.
Burbank Superior Court Judge Patrick Hegarty suspended a two-year state prison term that Carpenter, as long as he complies with the terms of his probation.
Carpenter was accused of lighting a bottle rocket around 2:45 a.m. July 5 in his apartment at 807 E. Chevy Chase Drive with the intention of throwing it into the street. But it exploded and burned him, according to Glendale fire Capt. Tom Propst.
It took 44 firefighters 13 minutes to knock down the fire, which caused $800,000 in damage to the building and $200,000 in damage to the contents, he said. Three units were destroyed and a fourth was heavily damaged.
Carpenter was treated for second-degree burns, according to Glendale police Sgt. Susan Hayn.