Transient Pleads Guilty to Setting 2 Fires in Studio City

A 41-year-old transient, previously cleared of setting a $2.5-million fire in Studio City, pleaded guilty Thursday to setting two small fires along Ventura Boulevard and was sentenced to the time he has already served in County Jail awaiting trial.

San Fernando Superior Court Judge Meredith C. Taylor sentenced John Charles Kellogges to three years in state prison for one count and two years on the second count, but ordered them to be served concurrently.

Since Kellogges has been in custody for more than two years, combined with credit for good behavior, he will not spend additional time in prison, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Cynthia L. Ulfig.

Kellogges was arrested Dec. 27, 1990, and charged with setting a spectacular $2.5-million fire the day before that wiped out several stores along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City.

At a preliminary hearing in February, 1991, Kellogges was ordered to stand trial on 10 counts of arson, but he was never tried because another judge found him mentally incompetent.

In October, 1992, prosecutors dropped charges against Kellogges in the multimillion-dollar fire, saying they no longer believed that he was responsible. The investigation focused instead on a Glendale fire captain, who has since been convicted of setting similar fires.

Later that month, he was found to be mentally competent to stand trial on two remaining arson counts related to a fire in an abandoned motel in Studio City and another at an abandoned restaurant site.

Kellogges was homeless at the time. Though he pleaded guilty to both counts, he denied setting the fire at the restaurant site, but admitted setting the fire at the motel. He said he had lighted paper to stay warm and the fire got out of control, causing minor damage.