A Flagstaff man who committed arson in Grand Canyon National Park has been sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release. Dante Dunbar, 21, pleaded guilty to arson of a residence in the park on July 8, 2024, according to a press release from the National Police Agency. United States Attorney’s Office.
Senior U.S. District Judge Roslyn O. Silver also ordered Dunbar to pay $20,146.13 in restitution. The incident occurred between May 17 and 18, authorities said, when Dunbar illegally entered the cabin of his ex-girlfriend, who was not present at the time of the break-in. Dunbar allegedly started the fire by using a bottle of clear liquor, soaking the bed with the liquid, then lighting his shirt on fire and placing it on the bed, resulting in a cabin filled with smoke and burns. suffered damage.
Fortunately, witnesses spotted the fire and intervened, allowing it to be largely contained before firefighters arrived. Dunbar was taken into custody by National Park Service law enforcement shortly thereafter on unrelated charges and admitted to arson.
The investigation was conducted by National Park Service special agents and rangers, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Flagstaff, Arizona. Dunbar’s case, numbered CR-24-08061-001-PCT-RSO, highlights the problem of domestic violence spilling over into the public sphere as an invisible result of private grievances. .
