Plea deal postponed for landlord in Turlock arson case

Attorneys on Thursday told a judge they needed more time to iron out a few details in a plea deal for a landlord accused of starting a fire last summer at a rural Turlock home where his three tenants lived.

Deputy District Attorney Sam Getrich said it was a small issue that needed to be worked out before filing an amended criminal complaint for defendant George Nazar.

The fire occurred July 27, 2014, in the 400 block of North Verduga Road, just east of Turlock. The tenants were not injured in the fire.

The defendant initially was charged with three counts of attempted murder, along with one count of arson in connection with the blaze, which destroyed a travel trailer and a nearby outbuilding.

The attempted murder charges are expected to be dropped because of insufficient evidence. The amended complaint is expected to include only one count of arson of an inhabited structure, and Nazar will be ordered to pay restitution to his former tenants as part of his sentence.

Nazar, 51, remains free on bail.

Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Dawna Reeves scheduled Nazar to return to court Aug. 25. Robert Orenstein, Nazar’s defense attorney, told the judge that they should be ready to proceed with the plea deal by then.

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 12:23 PM with the headline "Plea deal postponed for landlord in Turlock arson case."