Ex-trooper pleads guilty to arson in eastern Utah wildfire

VERNAL — A former Utah Highway Patrol trooper and fire chief has pleaded guilty to purposely sparking a blaze that ultimately charred 1,000 acres in eastern Utah.
Rex R. Olsen, 37, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of arson, a third-degree felony, as part of a plea deal. He was originally charged with arson, a second-degree felony. A separate misdemeanor charge of igniting a wildfire with a smoldering object was dropped as part of the deal.
The case cost him his trooper job.
Olsen, former