STEVEN TAYLOR RUTHERFORD

Steven Taylor Rutherford, 47, of Banning, has been charged with felony arson charges related to nine fires he allegedly set in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties. (Contributed Photo)

By Michael P. Neufeld

UPDATE – Wednesday, July 3 – 3:36 p.m.

Riverside, CA – Steven Taylor Rutherford, 47, has been formally charged with setting nine arson fires — including the recent Mill Fire off Highway 38 in Mentone that burned 534-acres — and will be tried in Riverside County.

The Banning resident is charged with 13 arson-related counts, according to information provided at a joint press conference held in Riverside by San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos, Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach and CalFire’s John Hawkins.

“SERIAL ARSONIST”

Zellerbach, who called Rutherford a “serial arsonist,” told media representatives Rutherford was being charged with setting nine fires in the last 21 months. Five of those fires were located in the Banning area and one in San Bernardino County. The locations of the other fires were not immediately available.

Complete details of the case against Rutherford were not released, but Zellerbach did indicate “delayed ignition device” to start each fire. Officials had also legally placed GPS devices on Rutherford’s vehicles during their investigation.

Ramos announced the case would be tried in Riverside County because doing so would be “more efficient instead of dragging witnesses back and forth between the two counties.”

ORIGINAL STORY

Riverside, CA – A 47-year-old Banning man has been arrested by CalFire investigators on suspicion of setting numerous fires in San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Steven Taylor Rutherford (Booking Photo Supplied By CalFire)

Steven Taylor Rutherford — who was arrested in the 9000 block of Bluff Street in Banning on June 28 — is being held on $5 million bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. He was booked at that facility on June 29 at 12:54 a.m.

His next court appearance will be at 8 a.m. on July 3 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

THE CHARGES 

Rutherford is charged with arson of a structure or forest land, and arson with great bodily injury. Booking information indicates he is charged with nine counts of each alleged offense.

CalFire’s media advisory indicated the case was compiled against Rutherford by investigators from several fire and law enforcement agencies.

While the specific fires allegedly set by Rutherford were not included in the media release, the advisory did indicate they were in both San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The release also did not reveal the person injured, or extent of injuries sustained, during at least one of the fires.

Additional information will be released when it becomes available.

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