Three of the five men charged in the Nov. 24 Malibu Corral Canyon fire pleaded not guilty this morning to felony charges of recklessly causing a fire with great bodily injury and recklessly causing a fire to inhabited structures. The fire destroyed 86 structures, including 53 homes, and injured six firefighters.
The arraignment and bail hearing for the three took place this morning in the Van Nuys Superior Court with Judge Michael Kellogg saying the defendants “showed callousness in action and behavior.”
Brian Alan Anderson, 22, posted $240,000 bail earlier this week, after his “aunts scraped together” money, said his lawyer John Duran.
Andrew Flier, attorney for William Thomas Coppock, 23, tried to get his client out of jail on no bail, or at least reduced bail, but the judge refused his request. However, Coppock’s bail was reduced from $240,000 to $230,000 based on a technicality. His lawyer said he would post bail for his client later today.
Public defender David Goldstein also tried to get his client, Brian David Franks, 27, out on no bail. However, after presenting testimony of two family friends who said Franks did “not have a mean bone in his body,” and Goldstein presented written testimony and other evidence showing that Franks was the least culpable of all the defendants because he was the only one who tried to put out the fire, the Kellogg agreed to reduce Franks’ bail to $100,000.
Goldstein said Franks could not afford even that amount, therefore he most likely will remain in jail.
Flier said after the hearing, “It came down to the fact that Malibu had some fires, and some people have to be punished,” adding that his client and the codefendants are “scapegoats.”
A preliminary hearing will take place Jan. 7.
—Jonathan Friedman and Laura Tate