Raymond Neal Swayney was indicted last month in U.S. District Court of allegedly setting the Possum Fire which burned 142 acres on the Qualla Boundary in May 2011. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Monday, June 20 and has been released on a $25,000 unsecured bond.
The indictment, filed on May 20, alleges, that Swayney “willfully and without authority, set on fire timber, underbrush, grass, and other flammable material upon an Indian reservation and lands” and that he “knowingly used fire and explosive materials to commit Setting Timber Afire, a felony…”
The indictment alleges that the offenses occurred on May 21, 2011.
– One Feather staff report
