Man pleads not guilty to arson charge

A man accused of setting fire to a car and an outbuilding he owned with his estranged wife pleaded innocent to arson Thursday in Flathead County District Court.

Kevin Michael Templin, 31, also pleaded innocent to felony stalking, felony assault on a police officer, and violating an order of protection, a misdemeanor.

Templin allegedly torched the car and outbuilding in retaliation for the failed relationship with his wife.

Besides the Honda and workshop, which were destroyed in the fire, Templin also is accused of attempting to burn down the main house. An accelerant - believed to be gasoline - poured inside the home and lit on fire failed to ignite the rest of the structure, leaving only scorch marks on the carpet.

The alleged arson, which occurred the morning of Jan. 30, capped almost two weeks of harassment.

According to court documents, Templin's wife was granted an order of protection against him on Jan. 18. The next day, Templin called his wife to say goodbye to her and their children, reportedly saying that life wasn't worth living.

When Templin placed that call, he may have been inside his wife's Elk Park Road residence. Deputies observed his car at the home and a light on inside. Templin's wife was at her mother's house at the time, according to court papers.

Then on Jan. 24, Templin is accused of calling his wife at work approximately 10 times, violating the restraining order. When law enforcement contacted Templin about the reported violation, he called the order "just a piece of paperwork."

After a hearing on the morning of Jan. 30 to get the parameters of the order of protection expanded, Templin again called his soon-to-be ex-wife saying that "she could have it all" and that he was burning the house down.

Deputies responded to the residence after Templin's wife told the Sheriff's Office at about 9:30 a.m. to report the conversation.

When deputies arrived, the workshop and car already were on fire.

Responding fire departments staged down the road from the residence after investigators were notified Templin had access to a shotgun and a handgun.

After two witnesses reported seeing Templin walk away from the main house and toward some other outbuildings on the property, a team of deputies began clearing the area. After following tracks Templin left in the snow, deputies found him hiding behind a nearby woodpile, armed only with an ax handle.

He allegedly tried to take a swing at deputies with the weapon while he was being arrested, but missed.

His clothes were saturated in gasoline, according to police reports.

The Columbia Falls, Creston and Badrock fire departments responded to and extinguished the fire.

Templin is being held in the Flathead County Detention Center in lieu of $200,000 bail. Should he post bail, Templin must also appear in front of a judge before being released.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com