Latest news with #KevinCarlson
CBS News
06-03-2025
- CBS News
Chico's Bidwell Mansion arsonist sentenced to 11 years in state prison
CHICO – The man who ignited the fire that destroyed the historic Bidwell Mansion in Chico was sentenced to 11 years in state prison, officials said Wednesday. Kevin Carlson, 30, was also ordered to pay $37,414,083 in restitution, with 10% interest running from the day the fire occurred, to California State Parks, the Butte County District Attorney's Office said. Bidwell Mansion, a historic 26-room Victorian home, caught fire during the early morning hours of December 11. Within a week of the building's destruction, investigators were able to determine it was arson. Carlson was captured on surveillance footage in the area of Bidwell Mansion at the time of the fire and in the preceding days purchasing a fuel can, a lighter and other items at a local gas station. Investigators arrested Carlson on January 2 and, in early February, he confessed to the crime in front of a Butte County judge. In sentencing Carlson, Butte County Superior Court Judge Corie Caraway said that more than 100 community members submitted victim impact statements and that "aggravating factors" allowed for the maximum sentence to be imposed rather than a lesser term of eight years recommended by the probation department, the DA's office said.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Delta asking for feedback for Main Street Improvement Project
DELTA, Colo. (KREX) – The City of Delta has launched a Main Street Improvement Project website as a way to encourage public engagement and feedback as it aims to better downtown. The project comes after the City of Delta was awarded over $13 million in 2023 to implement a new street design. This includes sidewalks, ADA-accessibility features, landscaping and multimodal improvements. Feedback can be given at 'Our downtown is more visible. People are driving slower and can notice our restaurants, stores and public art,' Mayor Kevin Carlson said in a news release. 'Parking is safer with Main Street as a single lane, and we are all better off slowing down a little. We are excited to be able to work with CDOT and our community to make the changes we need and are grateful for the grant funding that is going to make this possible.' For more information on the project, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
06-02-2025
- CBS News
Suspected arsonist admits guilt in historic Bidwell Mansion fire in Chico, officials say
CHICO – The man accused of arson in connection with a fire that destroyed the historic Bidwell Mansion in Chico in December has admitted his guilt, officials said Wednesday. Kevin Carlson, a 30-year-old from Chico, remains in jail without bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 5, the Butte County District Attorney's Office announced. Carlson faces up to 11 years in state prison. During the early morning hours of December 11, a Chico State University police dispatcher smelled smoke and saw through a surveillance camera that the 26-room Victorian home had caught fire, prosecutors said. By the time first responders arrived, Bidwell Mansion was fully involved in flames. Surveillance footage captured "a large burst of flames" on the building's north-facing wall shortly after 2 a.m. that day, prosecutors said. Within the following week, investigators determined there were "clear indicators of arson." What surveillance cameras also captured was a suspect running from the area of the burning building and walking through the surrounding neighborhood. Multiple cameras also captured a Toyota Highlander coming into the neighborhood shortly before the fire, and law enforcement officials zeroed in on locating that vehicle and its owner. Investigators eventually were able to track where the registered owner of the vehicle lived and identified the individual as Carlson. Following the fire, Carlson was seen on gas station surveillance footage purchasing water. The district attorney's office said Carlson was easily identifiable in that footage and was wearing the same clothing the suspect in the Bidwell Mansion footage was wearing after the fire had started. While tracing Carlosn's activities before the fire, investigators located surveillance footage of him purchasing a 5-gallon fuel can, duct tape, work gloves garbage cans and a lighter. Following Carlson's arrest on January 2, investigators also matched his GPS coordinates from his phone to the Bidwell Mansion area at the time of the fire, prosecutors said. It was also discovered that Carlson had switched his phone into airplane mode between 1::36 a.m. and 2:35 a.m., which is the timeframe for when the mansion had caught fire and when he would have arrived back at his home. The historic Bidwell Mansion was originally built in the 1860s and, at the time of the fire, was undergoing renovations that the California State Parks said were almost complete. A fundraiser to rebuild the mansion was created and announced in January. CBS Sacramento cannot guarantee that the money donated to fundraiser accounts will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering donating, you should consult your own advisers and proceed at your own risk.
