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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A judge has ruled that a 13-year-old girl is competent to stand trial on allegations she deliberately started a wildfire that destroyed three dozen homes north of San Diego in May.
U-T San Diego (http://bit.ly/1q1AsiM ) reports that the judge made the ruling in a brief hearing in juvenile court Wednesday.
Superior Court Judge Aaron Katz had ordered last month that the girl from San Marcos be psychologically evaluated to determine if she is fit to stand trial.
Prosecutors allege the girl intentionally started the Cocos Fire, which destroyed 36 homes and one business.
She pleaded not guilty Wednesday to three felony counts of arson and one misdemeanor count of unlawfully allowing a fire to escape from one's control.
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Information from: U-T San Diego, http://www.utsandiego.com
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