A Clarkridge man that had been accused of starting multiple fires during the 2022 drought has pled guilty to one count of reckless burning on Monday.
Trenton Lee Strain, age 44, was arrested on Friday, October 14, 2022, by the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office after witnesses saw him setting fires in Arkansas on October 13 and 14.
The Clarkridge Volunteer Fire Department said it had responded to 6 or 7 brush/grass fires on October 13th and an additional 7 brush/grass fires on October 14th. One unoccupied structure sustained extensive damage.
Strain was initially charged with 14 counts of reckless burning and one count of arson, all felonies, but the prosecution dropped all these charges but one count of reckless burning. Strain pled guilty to this charge on Monday, August 14, 2023, and has been sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
With this level of felony charge, Strain could be eligible for parole in as little as two years.
