Stoddard firefighter charged with arson due in court

Legal Exams

A volunteer firefighter charged with arson in connection with a brush fire that burned 190 acres in New Hampshire and prompted the evacuation of 17 homes is due to make his first court appearance.
 
David Plante is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Keene.

The 31-year-old Stoddard man was charged Friday with one count of arson, but more charges are expected. He remains in custody after refusing to meet with a bail commissioner.

The fire started Thursday in Stoddard, about 40 miles west of the state capital of Concord. No injuries were reported.

Police have not said what evidence led them to Plante. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

Related listings

  • Obama's power over immigration drives Supreme Court dispute

    Obama's power over immigration drives Supreme Court dispute

    Legal Exams 04/15/2016

    The raging political fight over immigration comes to the Supreme Court on Monday in a dispute that could affect millions of people who are in the United States illegally.   The court is weighing the fate of Obama administration programs that cou...

  • RNC launches campaign to oppose Obama's Supreme Court pick

    RNC launches campaign to oppose Obama's Supreme Court pick

    Legal Exams 03/13/2016

    The Republican Party is launching a campaign to try to derail President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court, teaming up with a conservative opposition research group to target vulnerable Democrats and impugn whomever Obama picks. A task force...

  • Texas court tosses criminal case against former Gov. Perry

    Texas court tosses criminal case against former Gov. Perry

    Legal Exams 02/24/2016

    The felony prosecution of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry ended Wednesday when the state's highest criminal court dismissed an abuse-of-power indictment that the Republican says hampered his short-lived 2016 presidential bid. The 6-2 decision by the Tex...

Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban

Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”

The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.

Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.

Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.

Business News

New York Adoption and Family Law Attorneys Our attorneys have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoption agencies. >> read