OROVILLE MAN ARRAIGNED FOR RECKLESSLY CAUSING FIRE
08.28.2026 "Press Release" - Butte County District Attorney's Office
By: Will Sheffield
John Matthew Francis, 68, of Oroville, was arraigned yesterday in the Butte County Superior Court on a felony complaint alleging he recklessly started a fire while cooking in an open grassy field. He entered a plea of not guilty.
Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey stated that on August 18, 2026, at approximately 9:22 p.m., CAL FIRE firefighters and investigators responded to a vegetation fire at Lincoln Boulevard and Ophir Road in Oroville. Officers contacted Francis – a registered sex offender and transient on Post Release Community Supervision from prison – who had been cooking food over an open flame in a field of tall, dry grass when a piece of hot debris escaped the pan as he turned his back.
According to investigators, Francis made no apparent efforts to prevent a fire from breaking out before he began cooking in the field. The fire burned a 30’ by 30’ patch of grass and half of a large olive tree before firefighters quickly contained it.
The criminal complaint against Francis further alleges that Francis has a prior “strike” conviction for child molestation in Nevada County in 2009. That allegation would double the maximum term, should Francis be convicted, from three years to six years in prison.
Francis is in custody at the Butte County Jail and is subject to a $115,000 bail amount. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for September 9, 2026.
Comments