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Former criminal justice instructor indicted for alleged fire-setting spree near California wildfires

Former criminal justice instructor indicted for alleged fire-setting spree near California wildfires 1

SACRAMENTO, CA- On Thursday, November 18th, a federal grand jury indicted former college instructor Gary Stephen Maynard for arson as prosecutors accused him of starting four fires over the summer near California firefighters who were battling the massive Dixie Fire. 

According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, a federal grand jury returned a five-count indictment against Maynard, 47, of San Jose, charging him with arson to federal property and setting timber afire.

The indictment alleges that Maynard carried out the arson spree in the area of the Dixie Fire near Shasta Trinity National Forest and Lassen National Forest. Some of the fires Maynard allegedly started were behind firefighters who were combatting the Dixie blaze. Maynard is charged with setting the following fires:

“The Cascade Fire (July 20), the Everitt Fire (July 21), the Ranch Fire (Aug. 7), and the Conard Fire (Aug. 7).”

According to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG), the Dixie Fire began on July 13th and was finally contained on October 30th. It was the second-largest wildfire in the history of California. 

The Associated Press (AP) reported that U.S. Forest Service agents began investigating the defendant on July 20th, following the Cascade Fire on Mount Shasta. An investigator discovered the defendant underneath his Kia Soul with the bottom of the car situated on a boulder and the front tires lodged in a ditch.

Another fire began burning through Mount Shasta the following day and tire marks consistent with a Kia like Maynard’s were found at the scene. A tracking device was placed on the defendant’s car after police stopped him on August 3rd.

Maynard reportedly drove his Kia to the Lassen National Forest in the area where the Conrad and Ranch Fires started. Court papers stated:

“It appeared that Maynard was in the midst of an arson-setting spree.”

In an August detention memo, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Anderson wrote that Maynard had entered the evacuation zone and “began setting fires behind the first responders fighting the Dixie Fire.” He added that in addition to the danger of enlarging the Dixie Fire and threatening more lives and property, “this increased the danger to the first responders.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service, which received assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CalFire, the California Highway Patrol, and the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department.

If convicted, Maynard faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in orison and a $250,000 fine for each count of arson. Arson to federal property carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison. According to the news release:

“Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.”

Reportedly, Maynard was apparently a college lecturer:

“Maynard appears to have taught briefly at Santa Clara University and Sonoma State University, where a Gary Maynard was listed as a lecturer in criminal justice studies specializing in criminal justice, cults, and deviant behavior. He is no longer with either school.”

Sonoma State told the Sacramento Bee that Maynard has not worked there since the end of 2000. The AP reported that Maynard has denied setting the fires. As of this writing, he is in custody pending trial. 

Editor note: In 2020, we saw a nationwide push to “defund the police”.  While we all stood here shaking our heads wondering if these people were serious… they cut billions of dollars in funding for police officers. 

And as a result, crime has skyrocketed – all while the same politicians who said “you don’t need guns, the government will protect you” continued their attacks on both our police officers and our Second Amendment rights.

And that’s exactly why we’re launching this national crowdfunding campaign as part of our efforts to help “re-fund the police”.

For those looking for a quick link to get in the fight and support the cause, click here.

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Video: Police searching for arson suspect who set fire at college in San Diego while employee was inside

September 24th, 2021

SAN DIEGO, CA – San Diego Police recently released surveillance footage from an arson incident that occurred in early August at a college center located in the city’s San Ysidro district.

Police are hoping the footage will help identify the suspect, who was seen on video setting fire to the front entryway of the college center while an employee of the college was inside of the building.

The incident occurred on August 6th at approximately 7:30 p.m. at the front doors of Southwestern College Higher Education Center.

A male suspect wearing a white baseball hat, black long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans and black sneakers approaches the doors, leans down and starts the fire that immediately goes up.

Authorities did not provide any details as to whether a specific type of device or accelerant was used during the incident.

An employee of the college was inside of the building where the fire was set outside of but was not injured during the incident.

A description of the suspect’s vehicle was provided by police, saying the suspect arrived at the scene in a black four-door Dodge Charger with red racing stripes, red fender hash marks above the front wheel wells and black five-spoke style rims.

The fire reportedly resulted in roughly $5,000 worth of damage.

Police did not share any possible motives for the incident, which is likely due to the suspect being unknown as of this time.

Anyone with information on the incident or the suspect’s identity is urged to call the Metro Arson Strike Team at 619-236-6240 or the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at 888-580-8477. Tips can also be left anonymously online at sdcrimestoppers.org.

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LET Unity

Democrat-backed convicted sex offender from Wi Spa incident who exposed himself to girls skips court

(Originally published September 20th, 2021)

LOS ANGELES, CA – According to reports, the 52-year-old convicted sex offender who was charged with several felony counts of indecent exposure for allegedly exposing himself to women and young girls at the L.A.-based Wi Spa in June had a warrant issued for his arrest after missing a court appearance for a separate indecent exposure case that occurred in West Hollywood.

On September 8th, a judge in Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a second arrest warrant for 52-year-old Darren Agee Merager, the roughly 6-foot-2, 200-pound biological male who claims to be a woman.

Merager reportedly missed a court appearance related to six felony counts of indecent exposure regarding a December 2018 incident where he allegedly exposed himself to both women and children in a changing area at a swimming pool in West Hollywood Park.

The at-large suspect is also a registered sex offender, having previous convictions of indecent exposure from 2002 and 2003 and was also convicted of failing to register as a sex offender back in 2008.

His latest legal troubles, which he was charged for back in late August, stem from a June 24th incident where he exposed himself to women and children at the Wi Spa in Los Angeles. Merager is currently facing five felony counts in that particular case.

Speaking to the New York Post, Merager claims that this arrest warrant for failure to appear is tantamount to “kidnapping”:

“I consider this a kidnapping! My anonymity is being ruined in a slanderous way.”

While speaking with the Post, Merager addressed the allegations against him regarding the Wi Spa incident, as complainants said he had an erect penis while exposing himself to women and children at the spa. His response was that they were mistaking his large endowment with being an erection:

“I don’t have a small penis but you can’t say that’s an erection. What if you used the men’s room and someone said they don’t like the size or shape of your penis? That’s what they’re doing.”

When the Post asked Merager about one of his previous convictions from 2003, where he was caught masturbating while watching an elderly woman through her window in Arcadia, he chalked it up to just being at a place he “didn’t belong”:

“I may have been somewhere I didn’t belong but I wasn’t doing it for gratification and I wasn’t showing myself off.”

But the Post also asked questions about incidents where police were called, but Merager was never charged. One involved him allegedly exposing himself at a gas station in June of 2018 while he was still on parole for a burglary case.

Three customers from the gas station told the cashier that he was standing at the pump wearing see through fishnets and exposing his penis. Police did review surveillance video from the gas station and found a male suspect standing at the pump for roughly an hour and lifting their leg up to expose their genitals.

However, no charges ever came about because no victims ever filed a formal complaint with police.

Then in December of 2018, Merager had reportedly exposed himself exposed himself to high school at the Palm Springs Swim Center. A high school girls’ water polo team were at the swim center with coaches, and Merager reportedly went into the women’s changing and shower area in a state of undress while the young girls were in there.

According to the police report, the following was written regarding the incident:

“Merager advised he was only showering and did not masturbate or touch himself inappropriately. He said that he would defend himself if he is threatened. He said he needs to swim to do his physical therapy.”

Merager told police that he identified as a woman and that his doctor told him to use whatever facilities made him comfortable – and thus, he was neither arrested nor charged in that incident.

The convicted sex offender claims that his criminal cases are evidence of “systemic transphobia.” He further claims that he won’t turn himself into police until he feels it’s “safe”, congratulating himself on how police are having difficulty locating him:

“They’re having a tough time tracking me down. That’s good. They’ll find me when I turn myself in.”

Whenever Merager is arrested, therein lies a strong possibility that he’ll be jailed with biological women.

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LET Unity

LOS ANGELES, CA – The man who identifies as a female that reportedly sparked the Wi Spa incident that led to protests back in June is apparently a registered sex offender with a history of indecent exposure.

Furthermore, reports indicate he’s also facing criminal charges related to the alleged indecent exposure at Wi Spa back in June.

A video that went viral back in June relates to an incident that occurred at the Wi Spa back on June 23rd, where the video showcased a woman complaining to Wi Spa staff that a man was in the women’s section of the spa exposing his genitals to women and young girls:

“It’s okay for a man to go into the women’s section, show his penis around the other women, young little girls – underage – in your spa?”

“He is a man – he is a man. He is not no female – he is not a female.”

The woman complaining in the video was telling staff about the incident, which she was seemingly being dismissed and one other male in the spa actually tried to come to the defense of the man reportedly exposing himself in the women’s area:

(Man confronting woman): “Are you talking about a transgender person?”

(Woman recording video): “There ain’t no such thing as transgender, he has a dick. Okay? He has a penis – his penis is hanging out.”

(Man confronting woman): “You’re being a dick.”

(Woman recording video): “Okay, no, I’m not one. Actually, I’m a woman who knows how to stand up and speak up for my rights. As a woman, I have a right to feel comfortable without a man exposing himself, okay?”

The entire ordeal led to heated protests outside of Wi Spa in the days that followed, with reports noting that Antifa-inspired protesters clashed with various women’s rights groups going on into July outside of Wi Spa.

A report from the Los Angeles Blade published on July 7th went so far as to allege the incident was “staged” because “no transgender person can be seen” on the woman’s video, among other subjective elements.

However, it turns out that there was someone who allegedly exposed themselves at the Wi Spa on the day of the incident who is now facing criminal charges. Furthermore, the individual facing charges is also a registered sex offender, identified as 52-year-old Darren Agee Merager.

On August 30th, following an investigation by the LAPD, five felony counts of indecent exposure were filed against Merager.

Sources say that four women and a minor girl came forward to authorities and alleged that Merager was exposed and erect while in the women’s section of the spa back in June.

On top of these charges related to the June incident, Merager is also facing six felony charges of indecent exposure over a separate incident that occurred back in December of 2018.

Prosecutors say that Merager has exposed himself to both women and children in a changing area at a swimming pool in West Hollywood Park.

After police arrested Merager in 2018 for the aforementioned incident, an internal flyer from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that was shared with law enforcement agencies in southern California inquiring whether other “similar incidents” involving the suspect read as follows:

“Darren Merager was arrested on 12/30/2018 for an indecent exposure incident in which he exposed himself to women and children in the women’s locker room of West Hollywood Park.

Merager claims to identify as female so he can access women’s locker rooms and showers. Merager is a registered sex offender and a transient with family in Marina Del Rey. Please contact Det. Simpson with any similar incidents.”

Merager has previous convictions of indecent exposure from 2002 and 2003 in California and was also convicted of failing to register as a sex offender back in 2008.

Merager was also sentenced to prison for four years back in 2014 after pleading no contest to a burglary charge where he stole “millions of dollars in artwork, jewelry, wine, and a Porsche from the Santa Monica home,” according to reports.

Merager spoke with the New York Post about the Wi Spa incident, claiming that the woman who filmed her interaction with Wi Spa employees never saw him naked:

“She never saw me naked. I was underwater with water all the way up to my chest.”

The repeat felon and convicted sex offender claims that he was the victim in the Wi Spa incident, proclaiming that he was subjected to sexual harassment and transphobia.

He claims that his cases involving indecent exposure from both Wi Spa and West Hollywood Park show a “pattern of abuse” against men who identify as women because when men disrobe around women and children “people simply claim indecent exposure and you’re arrested.”

Merager says he’s also trying to have the laws changed in California so that he and other men can go into areas designed for women and expose themselves with impunity:

“If you go into an area where you’re expected to be nude, there has to be an indecent exposure exemption.”

The convicted sex offender said that he’s been in contact with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office after learning about his warrant and has plans to turn himself in.

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