In a custody hearing held this Thursday (19), the Rio de Janeiro Court decided to make the arrest of the man who started the forest fire that destroyed 2,700 hectares of forest in Serra da Beleza, in Valença, in the south of Rio de Janeiro, preventive. Sebastião Clóvis da Silva, 61, was arrested in flagrante delicto two days ago by agents of the Environmental Protection Department.
In his decision, Judge Marco Aurélio Adania, who presided over the session, wrote that Sebastião was arrested for causing a large fire that burned an area equivalent to 2,700 football fields of flora and environmental preservation, as can be seen in the report by the State Environmental Institute (INEA) included in the case. Animals in the forest area died from burns or smoke poisoning.
The magistrate said that preventive detention is justified to guarantee public order, for the convenience of the criminal investigation and to ensure the application of the Criminal Law, “there being evidence that demonstrates the existence of the crime described in the records and sufficient evidence of authorship on the part of Sebastião”.
Prison
THE prison is part of Operation Curupiraintegrated work by the Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro to investigate and hold accountable those involved in the arson attacks committed in the state.
“After extensive investigation and intelligence gathering, it was possible to identify the person caught on a widely circulated video, getting off a motorcycle and setting fire to a wooded area.”
The incident occurred in an area on the side of the RJ-143 highway, at km 52. After starting the fire, the man fled. The criminal action devastated approximately 2,700 hectares, of which 1,500 hectares were native forests protected by the APA,” the Civil Police reported.
