Man indicted for fire on Cherokee land pleads not guilty

A man who allegedly set a fire that burned 142 acres of land belonging to the Eastern Band of the Cherokee in 2011 has been indicted in U.S. District Court in Asheville.

Raymond Neal Swayney was indicted last month for setting the fire May 21, 2011 that became known as the Possum Fire, according to the indictment. He is charged with two offenses, according to the indictment: the first, willfully and without authority setting fire to timber, underbrush, grass, and other flammable material on Indian land and, the second, knowingly using fire and explosive materials to commit setting timber afire.

He plead not guilty to the charges Monday.

If convicted Swayney could serve up to 15 years in prison and pay a fine. If he has prior convictions for knowingly using fire and explosive materials, he could serve up to 25 years in prison.

He has been released from custody on a $25,000 bond.

Anthony Sequoyah, emergency services director for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, said intentionally set fires have been a problem in Qualla Boundary over the past few years, but the FBI and other agencies often handle the investigations.

Three forest fires took place in Cherokee in April and burned more than 300 acres, and officials suspect at least one was intentionally set, according to the Cherokee One Feather.

Swayney's case returns to the U.S. District Court docket Aug. 1.