Arraignment delayed for teen charged in Yucaipa area fires
The arraignment for a 16-year-old Yucaipa boy charged with starting the Pendleton and Oak Glen fires was delayed this morning after his attorney challenged the decision to try him as an adult.
Ricky Sean Lukacs was originally arrested and charged as a juvenile for the Aug. 30 and Aug. 31 blazes that burned more than 1,000 acres in Oak Glen, threatened about 400 homes and burned 860 acres in Yucaipa before it was contained.
The charges were later refiled in adult court because two homes burned in the fires.
A San Bernardino Superior Court judge delayed Lukacs' arraignment until Jan. 6 so his defense attorney can file a motion challenging the charges against the teen.
Lukacs is charged with two counts of arson of an injabited structure. He was arrested after a sheriff's deputy spotted him leaving the scene of where the 347-acre Crafton Fire started on Sept. 23.
Lukacs is also facing arson charges in juvenile court for 12 to 14 arson wildfires dating back to 2006. At a press conference held after his arrest, authorities said a "commonality" had been found between the wildfires.
If convicted as an adult, Lukacs faces up to nine years in state prison.
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