Eagle Fire Arson Readiness Conference Held Monday

A readiness conference for the two men accused of arson in the massive took place Monday morning in the Vista Superior Court. Patch will bring you the outcome when it is available.

Jesse Durbin and Jeremy Ortiz, residents of Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, have pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated arson and arson on forest land in the fire which began on the reservation near Warner Springs in July.

The fire started at or near an identification checkpoint on land leased by the Los Coyotes tribe to a private company, Eagle Rock Training Center, also known as ERTC. .

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Monday's readiness conference was with Judge Kimberlee Lagotta. The conference is an opportunity for the parties to negotiate any possible plea bargain. It is sometimes called a settlement conference.

Deputy District Attorney Terri Perez is the assigned prosecutor. Durbin has been assigned a public defender and Ortiz has an alternate public defender.

If no settlement is reached, a case usually proceeds to a preliminary hearing, in which the parties hear what the prosecution intends to present as evidence.

If the case proceeds to trial, the two 23-year-old men face a maximum sentence of 10 years to life in prison if convicted.

Both men remain in custody, according to court records Monday. Bail was set at $2 million for each defendant.

The Eagle Fire spread from the reservation, about five miles east of Warner Springs, to the hills overlooking Borrego Springs. More than 2,000 firefighters from all over California worked to suppress the blaze, at an estimated cost of $15.4 million.

Update 8-17-11

Prosecutor Terri Perez told Patch that another readiness conference will be held Sept. 13 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27. She said Ortiz now has a private attorney, Herb Weston.