SANDPOINT, Idaho — A preliminary hearing is being held Wednesday for a woman charged with the arson fire that destroyed the Army Surplus store July 4.
Jennifer Suzanne Meyer, 50, was charged earlier this month with setting the fire, after police said multiple surveillance videos from businesses near the Army Surplus building showed the woman in the vicinity and acting suspiciously.
Saying he found the state's request appropriate, Magistrate Judge Luke Hagelberg set a preliminary hearing for July 31 and set bond at $1 million on a charge of first-degree arson. The charge carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
At a preliminary hearing, a judge determines whether there is enough evidence for a defendant to stand trial.
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.
Meyer refused to appear on camera at a video arraignment set up at the Bonner County Jail, forcing deputies to bring her to the courthouse for the hearing. Once at the courthouse, Meyer was unresponsive, placing her head on the defense table and refusing to speak throughout the 10-minute arraignment hearing.
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