Man takes deal, pleads guilty to starting Bucktail fire in Montrose County

A Colorado man took a deal and pleaded guilty Wednesday to starting a Montrose County wildfire last year while trying to cremate his dog Rocket according to court records Brent Garber pleaded guilty to one count of attempted arson a felony court records show He originally faced another three charges including two counts of felony arson and one count of trespassing The cremation-sparked Bucktail fire one of Colorado s largest wildfires last year started north of Nucla on Aug It burned acres of private and national forest land caused an estimated in damages and destroyed one home according to Garber s arrest affidavit Garber was identified as a suspect after a Montrose County Sheriff s Office commander spotted him driving away from the fire just minutes after it was announced Related Articles Animal rights lawyers threaten to sue over Renaissance Festival elephants El Paso County pays million to settle wrongful-death lawsuit Judge declines to block Douglas County s home-rule electoral process says commissioners didn t violate open meetings law Judge dismisses Mammoth Farms lawsuit against Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division Colorado s new transgender rights law already has a legal challenge At the fire s starting point investigators detected a dug-out cave the partially burned body of a dog and a large rock with the words Oct July Rocket Dog Rest in Peace Buddy etched on it Garber is scheduled to be sentenced on July Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day