The man who was arrested for burning toilet paper near the reported start of the Pipeline Fire pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of starting a prohibited fire Wednesday and was sentenced to one year probation. Court documents show 57-year-old Matthew Riser ignited toilet paper and placed it under a rock, several feet from a forest road back on Saturday, June 11th. On that Sunday at around 10:30 a.m., a fire was reportedly burning brush and trees. A man in a white Chevy pickup truck, with a camper shell and Louisiana license plates, was seen driving quickly away from the fire. Court documents say a deputy pulled over Riser, who was driving that vehicle, on Highway 180. He told the officer he was camping in the area and burned his used toilet paper Saturday, never thinking it would smolder all night. Riser told officers he tried putting out the fire with his sleeping bag, but with no luck. Riser admitted to burning the toilet paper, but hasn’t admitted to, or has been charged, with starting the Pipeline Fire.
Suspect Arrested Three Days After Standoff In Kaibab Estates West Near Ash Fork
June 8, 2023
10:59 am
