Kalispell man denies arson charges

A Kalispell man pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony arson Thursday in Flathead County District Court.

Elijiah Norman Weller is being held in Flathead County jail. An omnibus hearing is set for Oct. 25.

Court documents allege that on July 17 at about 11:30 p.m., a sheriff’s deputy went to a Poplar Drive residence where arson was reported. The owner of the residence told the deputy Weller had set the door of his residence on fire.

Around 2 o’clock the next morning, Kalispell Police responded to a vehicle fire on First Avenue West.

A witness described the man who allegedly set the fire and the vehicle in which he was traveling.

Officers later stopped the vehicle and found that the driver, Weller, smelled of gasoline and had a red gas can in the vehicle.

A jury trial is set for January 2015.