Former UHP trooper Rex Olsen was sentenced last week in 8th District Court for starting the Maeser Highway Fire last June. Olsen was sentenced to serve 180 days in the Uintah County Jail and will be placed on probation for 36 months. On August 8th, the Utah Attorney General’s Office charged Olsen with one count of Second-Degree Felony Arson as well as a second charge for placing a lighted item on a highway/wildland area, a class B misdemeanor. Olsen pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of third-degree felony Arson while the second charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal. Olsen also pleaded guilty to a federal charge for setting a separate fire, the Mile Marker 166 Fire, on May 30th in eastern Uintah County. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for June 7th. During Olsen’s sentencing last week, it was noted that his jail commitment will be stayed pending his sentencing in federal court for the Mile Marker 166 Fire. A Restitution Hearing in the Maeser Highway case is scheduled for June 27th.
