Alleged arsonist changes plea

BONNERS FERRY — A Boundary County man charged with two counts of arson in 2022, pled guilty earlier this month to one count in the case as part of a plea deal.

Michael Franklin Mock, 30, of Boundary County is charged with arson I in connection to a fire at the Boundary County Fairgrounds, as well as arson II in connection to a Sept. 10 structure fire on Birch Street.

Arson I applies to a dwelling or structure normally occupied, while arson II applies to a structure. 

Mock was arrested Sept. 12, 2022, after allegedly setting fire to one of the county’s incident command team yurts at the Boundary County Fairgrounds, while two fire personnel were sleeping inside during the Kootenai River Fire Complex fires in summer 2022. 

In an affidavit by then-Deputy Jason Trujillo with the Boundary County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement arrived on the scene around 3:44 a.m. On his arrival, Trujillo wrote in a probable cause affidavit that several United States Forest Service firefighting personnel were in a 10 to 20-foot vicinity of the yurt, which was used to house fire personnel supporting efforts to squash the complex fires.

The southwest corner of the yurt was still smoldering after being put out with portable fire extinguishers by USFS personnel, court documents said. Two individuals were wrapped in blankets and still in their sleepwear. Trujillo wrote both had been sleeping in the north end of the yurt and were awakened by the smell of smoke.

On Jan. 3, Mock entered a change and pled guilty to arson in the second degree. Due to a change in plea to guilty, the trial for Jan. 4 was canceled and Mock is set for sentencing on March 6.