On Tuesday, Patrick Courtney changed his plea from "not guilty" to "guilty" to setting the four fires.
Prosecutor Tim Ward said, "The defendant admitted that one of the counts is in fact a serious felony so if he's convicted of a felony in the future that could be used as a strike on his record."
Pilot George "Sandy" Willet and CAL-FIRE Battalion chief Rob Stone were in an air tactical plane helping coordinate fire fighters on the ground when they crashed.
Tim Ward says, "That's what the families wanted in this case – an admission on his part that he's responsible not only for the fires but for the death of Mr. Stone and Sandy Willet, as well."
As part of this plea deal, Courtney will not face any murder charges. His attorney says Courtney is disappointed but happy he can start to put the incident behind him.
Patrick Courtney's attorney Roland Soltesz said, "I think there's a tremendous sense of sorrow for what happened. This wasn't an intentional act by any means. This was something that happened. The fires were started, he was lost in the forest and he set these small fires."
Patrick Courtney will be back in court in April for his sentencing. He'll get 15 years in prison, far less than the life sentence he was facing.
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