A San Mateo man pleaded no contest to felony arson of a structure on Sept. 9 after setting six fires throughout Belmont and San Mateo last year, San Mateo County Deputy District Attorney Shin-Me Chang said.
Nicholas Elward, 32, of San Mateo, was sentenced to two years in state prison and was released Monday on time served, Chang said. He was originally charged with eight counts of arson.
He was spotted walking north on Interstate 280 and in possession of items linking him to fires that occurred earlier in the night in Belmont and San Mateo.
In September 2023, a Belmont police officer on patrol noticed a strong odor of smoke and found it coming from an abandoned gas station at the corner of Hill Street at El Camino Real. During an area check, a grass fire was located on the north side of Ralston Avenue at Christian Drive. While Consolidated Fire and Cal Fire responded and began to extinguish the fire, Belmont officers located an additional fire in the center median of State Route 92 just west of Ralston Avenue. While officers conducted an area check for the suspect, a fire was found in the center median of Interstate 280 near the State Route 92 interchange, according to police.
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Dirk van Ulden said:
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(2) comments
what are the chances he will do it again?
And why should Nicholas get time off for being a "good boy?" This is what's wrong with the system and society, too soft. Rather than being released early, Nicholas should have been required to light a box of 1,000 matches, every day, one at a time, and then extinguish each of them one at a time for two years or 730 days. Holding his hand and saying he was a good boy won't help. BTW, this light a box of matches punishment worked with my four year old brother.
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