Montpelier man charged after allegedly setting fire to motel room

MONTPELIER — A man police say started a fire in his motel room has been charged with two felonies.

Robert Jacob Amidan, 45, faces charges of first-degree arson and malicious damage to property, according to court records.

Montpelier police received a call requesting a well-being check around 8 a.m. on April 27, according to a probable cause affidavit. The caller said he received a phone call from Amidan “threatening self-harm”.

Authorities went to a motel room where Amidan was staying. They saw a man they identified as Amdian through the window of the room. The man refused to open the door for officers, the affidavit states.

While retrieving the key to the principal’s office, officers saw smoke coming from Amidan’s room. They called the Montpelier Fire Department and Bear Lake County Ambulance for help.

A deadbolt on the door prevented them from unlocking the door. According to police reports, officers could see flames rising inside the room through the window and so evacuated neighboring rooms.

Meanwhile, Amidan ignored requests to open the door and allegedly threw objects through the window, shattering the glass.

Through the broken window, officers used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire from the outside.

Amidan then opened the bedroom door and “fell to his knees,” the affidavit states.

Although he did not do what the officers asked, the affidavit says Amidan was not “aggressive” toward them. Finally, the officers pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him.

Officers returned inside once Amidan was in the patrol vehicle and discovered he had pushed furniture inside the room to start the fire. There was “about an inch” of standing water inside the room from a bathtub that had overflowed and filled with burnt objects, according to court records.

Officers also learned that the items Amidan threw out the window were broken pieces from the room’s toilet.

EMS reported to police that Amidan told them he was “just playing Boy Scout” and “it was fun.”

Amidan was taken to Bear Lake Memorial Hospital, where he was medically cleared and met with a mental health counselor. There, he told officers he wanted to be treated for mental health issues and was “sad that the system” was “broken,” according to the affidavit.

He also commented on the training he was receiving from “the government” to combat fires and terrorism.

Officers spoke with the counselor after his meeting with Amidan. The counselor allegedly told police that he did not believe Amidan was “severely disabled” and that Amidan knew what he was doing when he started the fire. The counselor also informed officers that there were no beds available in the area for Amidan to receive mental health treatment. So he was taken to the Caribou County Jail.

If convicted, Amidan faces up to 30 years in prison.

He is scheduled to appear Wednesday before Magistrate Judge Todd Garbett for a preliminary hearing.

Even though Amidan was accused of these crimes, that does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.