A 21-year-old San Mateo man was sentenced to 181 days in county jail and three years supervised probation Wednesday after he pleaded no contest to arson last month for setting fire to downtown San Mateo trash cans with a friend in March, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Carlos Cristerna received 181 days credit for time served and will be required to pay $41,539 in restitution to the Vitalant Blood Donation Center at 48 Second Ave., which sustained wall damage stemming from one of the trash can fires he and 20-year-old Wilbert Ramirez allegedly set, according to prosecutors.
On March 21, the pair had allegedly been drinking heavily and started walking around downtown San Mateo setting trash can fires. Police officers responding to the scene found several fires burning in trash cans on Second Avenue as well as on East Third Avenue in front of the Jos. A. Bank store at 208 E. Third Ave., according to prosecutors.
Surveillance cameras captured footage of the pair setting the fires, which led to their arrest at their homes March 22. Ramirez pleaded no contest to felony arson alongside Cristerna May 15 and Ramirez is expected to appear in court July 12 for sentencing, according to prosecutors.
Cristerna’s defense attorney Brandon Douglass said his client is grateful to Judge Clifford Cretan for giving him a fair sentence and also that no one was injured as a result of the incident.
“He’s not a dangerous person … he’s just a young guy who made a mistake,” he said. “We’re hoping that he’s able to show everybody that he’s worth taking a chance on.”
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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