On February 1, 2010, Judge Michael Burke, La Paz County Superior Court, sentenced Eldon Ray Campbell, 26, of Ehrenberg, to 11.5 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections. He is not eligible for early release or probation.

On January 4, 2010, Mr. Campbell pled guilty, through a plea agreement, to one count of Arson of a Structure and one count of Burning of Wildlands.  As part of the plea agreement the range of sentence that could have been imposed was 9 to 23 years.

Mr. Campbell was responsible for multiple fires in the Ehrenberg area.  The case was prosecuted by Sam Vederman, La Paz County Attorney, and the investigation was conducted by the La Paz County Sheriff’s Office.

La Paz County Attorney Sam Vederman said, “The entire Sheriff’s Office did a great job. In particular, Sgt. Karen Slaughter, Sgt. Richard Epps and former Dep. Larry Irwin, really did an outstanding job investigating the arson incidents. Fortunately no one was ever injured as a result of Mr. Campbell’s conduct, but it could have been a catastrophe. Mr. Campbell is a dangerous person and I hope that he seeks the treatment he needs to rehabilitate himself while he is in prison.”