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2 Plead Not Guilty To Arson In Pasadena New Year's Eve Fire

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Two men pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of setting a house on fire on New Year's Eve in Pasadena, about a mile from the route of the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Steven James Rymer, 28, and Hosea Daniel Dileoreto, 18, have been charged with one felony count each of arson of an inhabited structure or property, use of a destructive device/explosive to injure or destroy and burglary.

Rymer and Dileoreto are accused of destroying a home in the 800 block of North Oakland Avenue on Dec. 31 with a pipe bomb, according to Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney.

2 Men Face Arson Charges In New Year's Eve Fire

The home was abandoned after the owner died several months ago, but squatters had moved in, Carney said.

"It's my understanding that they knew that the house was not occupied at the time they set off the bomb," he said.

The pair was arrested Jan. 10 by Pasadena police, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Inmate Information Center website.

Both men are being held on $750,000 bail and are scheduled to appear in court again on Feb. 6 in Pasadena Superior Court.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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