The Rio Americano arsonist is ordered to pay $2 million.
By Ramon Coronado -- Bee Staff Writer - (Published July 23, 2002)
A Sacramento Juvenile Court judge has ordered a 17-year-old boy to pay $2 million in restitution for a high school fire, a debt that could follow the teen for the rest of his life.
In what is believed to be the largest restitution amount ordered in Sacramento Juvenile Court, the boy was found liable for nearly all the arson damage to Rio Americano High School last November.
"This will follow him forever," said Georgeann McKee, who represented the boy during criminal proceedings.
The parents of the boy, who is now 17, had an insurance policy covering family members, but insurance officials are questioning whether they are obligated to pay because the boy was found guilty of a crime, McKee said.
By law, the parents are obligated to pay no more than $10,000 of the restitution, which totaled $1,955,647.
"He could end up never being able to own a home or have any credit," said McKee of the boy, whose name is not being used because he is a minor.
The San Juan Unified School District could press the parents' insurance company to pay off the restitution, but district officials said Monday that they had not yet seen the court order issued late last week by Judge John A. Mendez. A formal decision will be made later, they said.
The decision could be appealed, but the boy's parents also would run up more court costs.
After numerous proceedings in Juvenile Court, the boy pleaded guilty to two felony arson counts in exchange for being committed to Boys Ranch for a term of four months to one year, depending upon his behavior. Deputy District Attorney Rick Yenovkian said the boy successfully completed a rehabilitation program in four months.
He is now enrolled in a private school in the Sacramento area and is expected to graduate soon with a high school diploma, McKee said.
Yenovkian told The Bee that he asked for restitution both because the law requires it and because the school district is entitled to reimbursement for its loss.
"The school district is no different than a (human) crime victim," he said.
Defense attorney McKee said the boy never intended to burn anything down, but she expressed hope that other kids would learn from the teen's mistake.
"It was a stupid, stupid thing." McKee said. "You will not see this kid in the criminal justice system again."
In criminal court proceedings, Yenovkian argued that the teenager set a box on fire in a storage room in hopes that a fire alarm would go off and he would be able to get out of drama class 10 minutes earlier to smoke marijuana.
The Nov. 2, 2000, fire quickly spread to four counseling offices, a teachers lounge, four bathrooms, 15 classrooms and the school's theater. The fire forced the evacuation of 2,000 students and staff, but no one was injured.
At a restitution hearing recently, an attorney for the boy's family tried to convince Judge Mendez that the $2 million price tag amounted to a windfall for the district because the asbestos-laden building had to be removed anyway. Mendez disagreed, saying that there were no immediate plans for razing the building and that it was fully operational at the time of the fire.
Yenovkian said the asbestos made fighting the fire a particularly dangerous job for firefighters. As part of the total restitution order, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District is to be reimbursed $5,619 for the cost of knocking down the blaze, which was part of the total restitution order.
"This is by far the largest restitution order I've heard of in Juvenile Court," Yenovkian said. In earlier proceedings, the boy waived his right to a trial and pleaded guilty. He turned himself in to authorities several days after the fire.
By Ramon Coronado -- Bee Staff Writer - (Published July 23, 2002)
A Sacramento Juvenile Court judge has ordered a 17-year-old boy to pay $2 million in restitution for a high school fire, a debt that could follow the teen for the rest of his life.
In what is believed to be the largest restitution amount ordered in Sacramento Juvenile Court, the boy was found liable for nearly all the arson damage to Rio Americano High School last November.
"This will follow him forever," said Georgeann McKee, who represented the boy during criminal proceedings.
The parents of the boy, who is now 17, had an insurance policy covering family members, but insurance officials are questioning whether they are obligated to pay because the boy was found guilty of a crime, McKee said.
By law, the parents are obligated to pay no more than $10,000 of the restitution, which totaled $1,955,647.
"He could end up never being able to own a home or have any credit," said McKee of the boy, whose name is not being used because he is a minor.
The San Juan Unified School District could press the parents' insurance company to pay off the restitution, but district officials said Monday that they had not yet seen the court order issued late last week by Judge John A. Mendez. A formal decision will be made later, they said.
The decision could be appealed, but the boy's parents also would run up more court costs.
After numerous proceedings in Juvenile Court, the boy pleaded guilty to two felony arson counts in exchange for being committed to Boys Ranch for a term of four months to one year, depending upon his behavior. Deputy District Attorney Rick Yenovkian said the boy successfully completed a rehabilitation program in four months.
He is now enrolled in a private school in the Sacramento area and is expected to graduate soon with a high school diploma, McKee said.
Yenovkian told The Bee that he asked for restitution both because the law requires it and because the school district is entitled to reimbursement for its loss.
"The school district is no different than a (human) crime victim," he said.
Defense attorney McKee said the boy never intended to burn anything down, but she expressed hope that other kids would learn from the teen's mistake.
"It was a stupid, stupid thing." McKee said. "You will not see this kid in the criminal justice system again."
In criminal court proceedings, Yenovkian argued that the teenager set a box on fire in a storage room in hopes that a fire alarm would go off and he would be able to get out of drama class 10 minutes earlier to smoke marijuana.
The Nov. 2, 2000, fire quickly spread to four counseling offices, a teachers lounge, four bathrooms, 15 classrooms and the school's theater. The fire forced the evacuation of 2,000 students and staff, but no one was injured.
At a restitution hearing recently, an attorney for the boy's family tried to convince Judge Mendez that the $2 million price tag amounted to a windfall for the district because the asbestos-laden building had to be removed anyway. Mendez disagreed, saying that there were no immediate plans for razing the building and that it was fully operational at the time of the fire.
Yenovkian said the asbestos made fighting the fire a particularly dangerous job for firefighters. As part of the total restitution order, the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District is to be reimbursed $5,619 for the cost of knocking down the blaze, which was part of the total restitution order.
"This is by far the largest restitution order I've heard of in Juvenile Court," Yenovkian said. In earlier proceedings, the boy waived his right to a trial and pleaded guilty. He turned himself in to authorities several days after the fire.