Rim Fire: Defense Attorney Argues Feds Withholding Evidence Collected Against Keith Matthew Emerald

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - A defense attorney for a Northern California man accused of starting a massive wildfire last year says prosecutors aren't providing all of the evidence they have collected against her client.

Federal Public Defender Janet Bateman told a judge Tuesday she is preparing a motion seeking evidence on behalf of Keith Matthew Emerald.

The 32-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a four-count indictment stemming from last year's Rim Fire, which burned 400 square miles of the Sequoia National Forest, including parts of Yosemite National Park.

The fire destroyed 11 homes and cost $125 million to fight.

Prosecutors say Emerald was deer hunting with a bow when he lost control of an illegal campfire on Aug. 17, 2013.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rooney says he has provided the defense with exhaustive evidence.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.