Plea talks under way in arson case

COEUR d’ALENE — A pretrial settlement agreement is pending in the case of a Sandpoint man accused of arson in Kootenai County, court records show.

Clark Edward Richman is charged with second-degree arson, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery on a law officer.

Richman is accused of setting fire to a construction company’s trailer on the Kootenai Health campus on April 25. The blaze destroyed one trailer and damaged another.

Richman, 44, is further accused of pulling a knife on a Coeur d’Alene Police officer who responded to the fire and kicking an officer in the knee when he was being escorted to a patrol vehicle.

Video footage captured by an officer’s wearable camera depicts Richman stating he has a knife and refusing the officer’s commands to drop the weapon and lay on the ground.

While at gunpoint, other officers arrived and subdued Richman, who was reportedly in the throes of a mental health episode. He had been discharged from Kootenai Health prior to the arson incident.

Richman later gave an interview to Spokane television station KREM in which he admits to starting the fire to drawn attention to the hospital, which he called a “chamber of death” that was replete with satanic imagery.

When asked if he regretted his actions, Richman said, “What I regret is not having acceptance in my town in Sandpoint.”

Court records indicate he was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, which the defense said would be utilized to bring resolution to the criminal case against him.

Richman’s court-appointed defense counsel, public defender Lynn Nelson, moved for a continuance during a pretrial conference on Thursday in light of the ongoing plea negotiations.

Judge Lansing Haynes, however, declined to grant the continuance. Richman’s five-day jury trial is set to start on Oct. 8 if the plea negotiations break down.

Richman has remained in custody since the night of his arrest.