CIM inmate pleads not guilty to arson
Pictured: Joshua Hall, the prison barracks McDougald allegedly set ablaze.
CHINO -- An inmate accused of participating in last year's riot at the California Institution for Men pleaded not guilty Thursday to arson.
Caris Lynn McDougald, 24, is accused of setting fire to a barracks during the disturbance in August in the Reception Center-West section of the prison.
More than 300 inmates were injured during the 12-hour riot, which was described in a prison report as a "racial disturbance" between inmates.
A corrections officer who worked to quell the riot reported seeing McDougald add flammable material to a fire at a barracks. The inmate also allegedly lit a towel on fire and threw it onto the roof of the building.
Thursday was McDougald's first appearance in Chino Superior Court. The San Bernardino County Public Defender's Office was appointed to represent him. The inmate is next due in court Wednesday.
A prosecutor said McDougald's case is "one of the first, if not the first" criminal prosecutions related to the riot. Eighty-eight inmates have been charged with rules violations by the Department of Corrections.
Did they forget about prosecuting the officers who locked the inmates IN the building and fled? oops
I find it difficult to believe that any human trapped in a burning room would attempt to make the fire worse.
Hi Radha,Please let me know if I can help in any way. As you know I am quite familiar with the prsecos. Contacting the DA is a good idea. Quite often the District Attorney's office will not attend an initial hearing. You can request that their office send someone to attend the hearing. Regardless, their office should be getting a slough packet around ninety days before the hearing date. This packet is a smaller version of his Central file and the hearing panel uses this packet (along with his C-file) to conduct the hearing. The packet will contain any behavior rule violations and/or program participation he has been involved in. Perhaps more importantly, the packet should contain any letters that you and your family submitted during his sentencing. My prayers are with you.peace bryan
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