A Hollister man accused in a series of arson cases has accepted a plea deal in the matters and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, according to authorities.
Jason W. Spears, 35, pleaded guilty to arson counts linked to his arrest in February 2013. Some of the arson cases included destruction of medical offices on Sunnyslope Road.
According to a statement from the Hollister Police Department:
In December of 2012 a series of arsons were investigated by the Hollister Police Department and the Hollister Fire Department. The fire at 930 Sunnyslope Road destroyed several medical offices. Over the next two months, several small residential, commercial and vehicle fires were investigated in Hollister.
On February 9, 2013, Jason Spears was arrested after he was seen trying to set a fire to a Gibson Station condominium. Further investigation revealed additional fires and attempted arsons connected to Spears.
On December 29, 2014, Spears pleaded guilty to the arson at 930 Sunnyslope Road medical offices and also fires that were set on Somme Ave, a vehicle fire on Juniper Drive, a vehicle fire at Gibson Drive, a medical facility at 930 Sunset Drive, a residential fire on Del Monte Drive, a commercial fire on South Street, a commercial fire located on the 700 block of San Benito Street, a commercial fire on Prospect Avenue and 6 separate locations within Gibson Station.
Jason Wayne Spears has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution.
The Hollister Police Department would like to thank the citizens who called the police that led to Spears’ arrest, the Hollister Officers and Detectives that made the arrests and the Fire Personnel who conducted the extensive investigation. We would also like to thank the San Benito District Attorney’s Office for all their hard work in reaching this conclusion.
