McCrea found guilty of setting two fires in 2021

A Lake County jury found Craig McCrea guilty Thursday of two of four counts of arson related to a spate of wildfires in 2021, including one that resulted in the loss of four homes and 17 other buildings. 

Prosecutors argued in Lake County District Court that McCrea, a Ronan resident, sparked the fires as a way to put money in the pocket of his father, a Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes firefighter. Defense attorney Shandor Badarudden told jurors Craig McCrea was innocent and suggested that the younger McCrea's then-girlfriend was behind the fires. 

Investigators linked McCrea to fires on Jette and Evaro hills, the Boulder 2800 fire and the Boulder 2700 fire. Jurors were unable to come to a consensus on the Boulder 2800 or Jette Hill fires, but concluded that McCrea set the Boulder 2700 and Evaro Hill fires. 

The Boulder 2700 fire burned more than 2,500 acres and forced evacuations on Finley Point in August 2021. 

Deliberations lasted about five hours. 

Retired Missoula County District Court Judge Robert Deschamps presided over the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Thorin Geist in cooperation with Lake County Attorney James Lapotka. 

Arson carries a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison and a fine of $50,000.