A Durango man and former Fort Lewis College professor with a history of arson accusations appeared Friday in La Plata County Court, this time on suspicion of stalking and setting fire to a woman’s car.
Bradley Clark, 53, was at the center of two high-profile trials in 2021 in connection with a fire at south City Market. A jury ultimately convicted him of setting fire to the chip aisle at the grocery store, and he served two years in prison until an appeals court overturned the conviction and granted him a new trial. Prosecutors tried him a third time, but that ended in a hung jury. Prosecutors declined to proceed with a fourth trial, leaving him with no conviction for arson.
Clark appeared Friday in La Plata County Court wearing shackles and a jail-issued jumpsuit. He seemed anxious, taking deep breaths and fidgeting in his seat.
He was arrested May 18 on suspicion of stalking and domestic violence. He was released the next day after posting a $5,000 bail. But he was arrested again Thursday on suspicion of setting fire to his ex-girlfriend’s car on May 20, according to a formal request to revoke Clark’s bond filed by prosecutors.
The report said Clark and his ex-girlfriend had a casual sexual relationship, and that the woman had not wanted to be in a committed relationship with him.
“(The woman) reported to law enforcement that despite her repeated attempts to tell (Clark) that they were not in a relationship and telling (Clark) not to contact her, (Clark) repeatedly texted and called (her) for a period of weeks,” the report said.
The report said Clark continued to text (the woman) for two weeks after being told to stop, and in one instance even brought up one of the cases of arson he was accused of.
“In some of the alleged text messages that (Clark) sent to (the woman) after (her) pleas to cease, (Clark) referenced a Durango Herald article describing an arson that occurred at City Market in Durango wherein (Clark) was charged with committing the crime,” the report said. “(Clark) is alleged to have texted (the woman), ‘now you know the truth’ and asked for an opportunity to explain himself.”
It was not clear exactly when the text message was sent.
The report said Clark was arrested because of his repeated contact with the woman. He appeared for an advisement hearing on Tuesday, when he was issued a protection order barring contact with his ex-girlfriend. He was also given a $5,000 personal recognizance bond.
He was released from the La Plata County Jail at 5:22 p.m. Tuesday, the report said.
Then, around 9:46 p.m. Wednesday, the Durango Police Department responded to a vehicle fire at the woman’s residence in the 3200 block of west Fifth Avenue. The flaming car, a red 2007 Jeep Commander, belonged to the woman and was parked in her driveway.
Based on Clark’s previous allegations of arson – including lighting a dumpster on fire in 2007, a fire set to an FLC professor’s office door in 2008, and the City Market fire in 2019 – Clark was arrested at 7:44 p.m. Thursday, according to the report.
“The doctrine of chances can be used to infer that (Clark’s) suspected involvement in at least three separate fires and now the burning of (the woman’s) automobile is more than coincidence,” the report said.
Clark has no convictions associated with any of those fires.
He appeared Friday in La Plata County Court for an advisement hearing overseen by senior visiting Judge Susanna Meissner-Cutler, who was filling in for La Plata County Judge Douglas Reynolds.
Attorney Katie Dittelberger represented the prosecution; Colorado public defender Annalise Hodges represented Clark.
Dittelberger asked that Clark be held on a $100,000 cash-only bail and be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor should he be released. She said Clark has a history of arson accusations, and La Plata County has enacted Stage 1 fire restrictions.
Hodges asked that Clark be released immediately without additional bail, saying there was no concrete evidence – including witnesses or DNA – linking him to the car fire.
Previous allegations of arson are unproven, she said. Clark was at home with his son when the car fire was reported, Hodges said.
“There’s nothing that has been articulated so far that could connect to probable cause,” she said. “There is no basis to connect Mr. Clark. He was at home with his son when the event happened.”
In the 20 years Clark has lived in Durango, he has set down roots, been a reliable family man and has secured steady employment – including a recent promotion as lead boat inspector with the Department of Natural Resources at Vallecito Lake.
“He should have been at work today,” Hodges said.
She said Clark finds his recent arrest to be distressing and perplexing. Keeping Clark in jail with no direct evidence is a violation of his rights to due process, she said.
Clark has told the Herald in the past that his numerous court appearances caused him extreme emotional, familial and monetary stress.
After hearing the prosecution and defense, Meissener-Cutler decided to keep Clark’s bail at $5,000 with GPS monitoring upon his release from jail.
“The court is familiar with your situation, and concerned about the people’s motion,” she said. “At this point in time, the court doesn’t have any evidence linking you to the allegations.”
The judge then set Clark’s next court hearing for 9 a.m. June 2.
Prosecutors said they are working with Durango Fire Protection District to bring in a certified investigator to help determine whether the fire set to the woman’s vehicle was indeed deliberate.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
