A 34-year-old Norco man accused of setting several fires before starting the Line Fire that raged in San Bernardino County for about two weeks and injured three firefighters has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg faces 11 counts of arson, including using incendiary devices to start fires, aggravated arson and causing serious bodily injury. The latter two felonies carry a combined prison sentence of up to 19 years to life.
Halstenberg entered his plea Tuesday morning during his arraignment in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, of Norco, is accused of setting the Line fire.
(San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)
Prosecutors said additional charges could be filed for any structural damage or additional injuries as the fire rages. They also believe Halstenberg could be linked to other fires.
The man's mother came to her son's defense, telling The Times on Thursday that he “did not start that fire.”
Connie Halstenberg made the comment in a response to a text message to The Times in which she said she was not speaking to the press.
But she said, “I want to say this about my baby. He did not light that fire, I repeat, he did not light that fire.”
She said there are things her son does that she does not approve of but that “he is not an arsonist.”
He Line of FireThe blaze, which has burned nearly 40,000 acres and is 49 percent contained, erupted shortly before 6 p.m. Sept. 5 near the intersection of Base Line and Aplin roads in Highland, more than 20 miles northeast of the suspect's home in Norco.
Prosecutors alleged in a criminal complaint that Halstenberg tried several times within an hour to set a fire in Highland. The first attempt occurred near Bacon and Lytle Lanes. Investigators said the fire was extinguished by local firefighters.
Shortly afterward, prosecutors say, Halstenberg headed east and started a second fire near Base Line and Aplin. They say a good Samaritan put out the fire.
“Undeterred, he lit a third fire. [in the same area] which is what we now know as the Line Fire,” prosecutors said in a written statement.
Three firefighters were injured in the early days of the blaze. At least one home in Running Springs was destroyed and three other buildings were damaged, according to authorities.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said the fire has affected more than 100,000 county residents.
Halstenberg became a person of interest to arson investigators who were looking into the origins of the fire with the help of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Matt Kirkhart said investigators, traffic cameras and automatic license plate readers helped identify a white truck that eventually led them to Halstenberg.
Sheriff's Detective Jake Hernandez said Halstenberg was Arrested on Tuesday at his home in the 1000 block of Detroit Street in Norco, where a search was conducted.
He said Halstenberg worked as a contracted delivery driver for FedEx and traveled around the country, wherever the company needed him. In a written statement, FedEx said Halstenberg is no longer a contractor for the company and was not one at the time of the Line fire.
Riverside County court records show Halstenberg has a criminal history, mostly traffic violations such as driving with a suspended license. In April, he was charged with possession of controlled substances and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Halstenberg's next court hearing will take place on Monday.
