Man charged with multiple felony counts in S. California fire
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A man charged with starting a Southern California wildfire that has burned 12 cabins and forced at least 20,000 people from their homes refused to go to court Thursday, delaying his initial court appearance.
The arraignment for Forrest Clark was supposed to be Thursday, but the judge in the case said the suspect refused to go to court. His arraignment was rescheduled for Friday.
Clark, 51, is charged with three counts of arson, resisting arrest and deterring an executive officer. He is being held on $1 million bail and faces life in prison if convicted. It's unclear if he has an attorney.
Clark is charged with setting the Holy Fire, which has burned 15 square miles in the Cleveland National Forest since it began Monday. At least 20,000 residents have had to evacuate their homes because of the blaze, which is just 5 percent contained. The Orange County Register reported that Clark owns a cabin in the community of Holy Jim, where the fire began, and that his was the only one to survive the flames.
Michael Milligan, chief of the Holy Jim Volunteer Fire Department, told the newspaper that Clark had a decade-long feud with neighbors and sent him threatening emails last week, including one that said, “this place will burn.”
At one point Tuesday, Clark stripped naked as investigators questioned him about the fire and a Register photographer snapped pictures.
When asked if he knew how the fire started, Clark said he had no idea.
“I was asleep. I had two earplugs in,” he said. “I just woke up, dude.”