Arson Plea Deal Rejected
Sonora, CA — The man accused of setting fire to the Columbia House Restaurant will be in court again. Daenon Vincent Brewer, 22 of Tuolumne accepted an initial plea deal that has now been disallowed by the court.
According to District Attorney Michael Knowles, new information about the amount of damage that was caused by the fire led to a request that the court reject the initial plea deal.
In the initial deal, Brewer agreed to serve two years in prison if he plead guilty to arson. The initial plea deal was based on an initial fire report stating $250,000 dollars in damage was done. Columbia House Restaurant in Columbia State Historic Park received heavy damage as seen in the images. According to DA Knowles a letter from the victim states that the losses are over $900,000.
The court rejected the deal, stating that it was not in the best interest of justice.
Brewer previously plead not guilty to the arson and drug charges. On Monday, February 25th Brewer will appear at a conference where he can re-enter his not guilty plea and a new preliminary hearing would be set.
