Arson suspect deemed 'significantly impaired'

SANDPOINT — An arson suspect was deemed incapable of assisting with her defense and ordered into treatment.

In the Aug. 21 court hearing, Judge Debra Heise found Jennifer Suzanne Meyer was "significantly impaired," lacking the ability to assist with her defense or understand the proceedings. However, a mental health evaluation found Meyer, 50, was not dangerously mentally ill.

The determination means Meyer will be placed in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to undergo treatment for up to 90 days. At the end of that period, Meyer will be re-evaluated and a determination made as to whether she is fit to stand trail on the first-degree arson charge. If not, the progress report is expected to determine whether there is a "substantial probability the Defendant will be fit to proceed within the foreseeable future."

Meyer, 50, was charged in mid-July with setting a July 4 fire which destroyed the Army Surplus building in Sandpoint. The Bonner County resident was charged after police said multiple surveillance videos from businesses near the Army Surplus building showed the woman in the vicinity and acting suspiciously.

The request was based on public defender Catherine E. Enright's interaction with Meyer, calls from acquaintances concerned about the defendant's mental health and her behavior at a July 17 initial appearance hearing, according to court records.

At that hearing, originally set for a video arraignment at the Bonner County Jail, Meyer refused to appear on camera, forcing deputies to bring her to the courthouse for the hearing. 

"I can't do this right now," she could be heard telling a bailiff at the jail as he directed her to sit in the chair and face the camera. "I can't do video responses. No, I can't do it. I'm sorry."

The exchange prompted Magistrate Judge Luke Hagelberg to ask the bailiff if someone could transport Meyer from the jail so the arraignment hearing could continue. Once she arrived at the courthouse, Meyer was led into the courtroom wearing a bright yellow inmate uniform, shackled at both the ankles and wrists, and her long, dark blonde hair loose about her shoulders.

Once at the courthouse, Meyer was unresponsive, placing her head on the defense table, where she was motionless and silent throughout the 10-minute arraignment hearing.

At one point, Hagelberg asked if she could hear him before noting he had heard her speaking to the bailiffs at the jail and ruled that the hearing could continue. Noting that she had responded to bailiffs at the jail, Hagelberg ruled the initial appearance hearing could continue, setting the stage for Wednesday's preliminary hearing.

Meyer was identified as the suspect following a review of multiple hours of video of the fire at the Army Surplus store and an investigation by the Sandpoint Police Department, which spent several days sorting through tips, video surveillance, and canvassing the neighborhood for any leads.

Meyer was arrested July 17 following an interview with Sandpoint Police and subsequently taken into custody on a charge of first-degree arson.

During a search of Meyer's home, officers allegedly found a bag next to the front door containing personal documents, including her driver's license, birth certificate, college transcript and passport, $1,000 in cash, a gun and ammunition, and silver valued at an estimated $1,200.

Citing the potential for flight and the need to protect the public, Hagelberg set a $1 million bond in the case. The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.