Accused Holy Fire Arsonist Pleads Not Guilty

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — The man accused of igniting the 23,000-acre Holy Fire, which forced thousands of those living near Lake Elsinore to flee their homes in August, pleaded not guilty to charges of arson in an Orange County courtroom on Wednesday. Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, was recently found competent to stand trial, after several ranting outbursts from the defendant at his August hearing.

The Trabuco Canyon resident will remain in jail on $1 million bail, despite a request by his attorney for it to be lowered. He could face 10 years to life in prison if convicted of the felony counts of aggravated arson damaging at least five inhabited structures, arson of forest, and making criminal threats, as well as resisting arrest.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Menninger previously doubted Clark's mental competency to assist in his defense, but as of Nov. 28, Orange County Superior Court Judge Michael Murray ruled that Clark was mentally competent to assist in his defense.

Initially, a defense expert concluded Clark was mentally incompetent, but a prosecution expert ruled otherwise, prompting Murray to appoint a "tie-breaker" expert, who concluded Clark was capable of assisting his attorneys in his defense. Clark did not have any verbal outbursts in court last month as he has in the past.

Clark's attorney, Nicole Parness, has been pressing prosecutors to turn over more evidence in the case. She has been pushing to obtain text messages allegedly sent by Clark to neighbors, as well as surveillance video footage.

On the day the Holy Fire erupted on Aug. 6, Clark allegedly threatened to kill a neighbor about 7:30 a.m., prosecutors said in a previous motion to deny him bail.

As the victim walked to his truck, Clark allegedly told him that he "(expletive) with the wrong person," according to the motion. "The defendant stated that he was 'crazy' and noted it was `perfect' because he could do anything he wants and get away with it."

Later that day, he allegedly set fire to his neighbor's residence in Holy Jim Canyon. The blaze ultimately also destroyed 13 other residences.

Orange County sheriff's investigator Jennifer Hernandez said in an affidavit supporting the motion to deny bail that Clark "could be heard on video telling (a victim), `Mark my words, you're gonna die at 12:37... I have 100 percent plausible deniability. You're gonna die. I'm gonna murder you."'

Clark allegedly made at least five "specific threats" and "allusions" to set fires, according to Hernandez, who said the defendant "appears to believe in the Sovereign Citizen ideology."

The ideology's supporters "believe the government does not have the authority to enforce a majority of our laws and taxes," Hernandez wrote, adding that not everyone who subscribes to the theory is violent, but law enforcement recognizes it as a "terrorist threat."

Orange County sheriff's deputies have had multiple encounters with Clark dating back to 2006, according to Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the department.

Clark was scheduled to return to court on Dec. 20 for a pretrial hearing.

OCSD Photo / City News Service contributed to this report.