Shortly after the fire, Avonte Hartsfield raised around $100,000 through GoFundMe, received more than $235,000 from his insurance company and accepted $20,000 from the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nationin order to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in insurance money and charitable donations was sentenced Wednesday to five years and four months in state prison.
He represented himself during the trial and maintained that he had nothing to do with the fire and was at home when the blaze broke out. Incriminating statements he made during a phone conversation with a San Diego police detective were the result of a coerced and false confession, he claimed."I do understand that the prosecution and the court would like to see an acceptance of responsibility. However, still, I am denying the fact that I was even there," Hartsfield said.
Hartsfield told police that in the days leading up to the fire, his truck and office had been broken into multiple times and some of his equipment had been vandalized. He also said he found a makeshift noose hanging in his office. A local businessman who received more than $100,000 from donors after his food truck burned has been charged with arson, reports NBC 7's Rory Devine.
After Clayton stated that Hartsfield was spotted on surveillance footage, Hartsfield explained that he had gone back to the office to check on things due to recent break-ins, but didn't see anyone there and left before the fire began.
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