Ronan man charged with arson for Boulder 2700 fire, two others

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that a Ronan man suspected of igniting the Boulder 2700 fire that burned several structures last summer is in custody and has been charged.

Craig Allen McCrea, 36, has been incarcerated at the Lake County jail since about May 4 on drug charges.

McCrea is being charged by the Lake County Attorney’s Office for three counts of arson for the Boulder 2700 fire and two other fires in the Polson area — the Boulder 2800 fire and Jette Hill fire. The Boulder 2800 and Jette Hill fires were started in the month prior to the Boulder 2700 fire and caused forestland damage but did not burn any structures, according to Sheriff Don Bell.

“The Boulder 2700 fire resulted in the emergency evacuation of hundreds of families, burned down more than a dozen homes and other outbuildings, destroyed thousands of acres of forestland, and has created an ongoing hazardous condition on Highway 35, due to destabilizing the vegetation and causing frequent rocks to fall to the road,” Bell said in a press release Tuesday.

Investigators suspected arson as the cause of the Boulder 2700 fire early on, and McCrea has been identified as the sole suspect so far. Bell said CSKT Division of Fire investigators helped connect the other two fires to McCrea as well.

The arson investigation was led by Det. Dan Yonkin of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Det. Yonkin collected more than 100 hours of surveillance footage from local residents and businesses in the wake of the Boulder 2700 fire, according to court documents.

Yonkin eventually obtained a warrant for cellular data for a phone belonging to Crystal M. Kline, which indicate Kline was present at the site of each of the three fires before they were initially reported.

Investigation of the Jette Hill fire on July 9, 2021 suggests Kline arrived at the Big Arm Resort around midnight, made a video with her phone and sent some messages to a friend before leaving the resort shortly after 3 a.m. and driving to the site where the fire was set. Kline stayed in the area for approximately 25 minutes before going to a residence owned by McCrea’s father, Bob McCrea, who recently retired from CSKT Tribal Fire after serving more than 50 years in wildfire management.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the Jette Hill fire. Investigators found drug paraphernalia and a pack of cigarettes. They also found a straw that was sent to the State Crime Lab, which identified DNA on the straw. The straw also tested positive for fentanyl.

In mid-July, video footage shows a vehicle known to be used by Craig McCrea drive past the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 35 at about 1:45 a.m. July 16, the night of the Boulder 2800 fire. Investigators believe Kline again was present at the site where the fire began. It was first reported at about 8 a.m., and crews quickly put it out.

The same camera recorded footage of the same car at the same highway intersection shortly before midnight on Aug. 31. Video obtained of the start of the fire shows a single set of headlights moving slowly up the mountain road, then back to the scene of the fire 15 minutes later. The headlights descend the road as the fire blows up behind them at about 2:30 a.m. The same vehicle was spotted back at the highway intersection at 2:40 a.m.

Yonkin questioned Kline, who admitted being with Craig McCrea at the scene of each of the three fires. She said he started the fires with a torch. Kline said Craig McCrea told his father about starting the fires. Craig and Bob McCrea live at the same residence.

Kline said she was afraid to tell anyone about the fires because Craig McCrea had been physically abusive to her.

Investigators obtained a swab from Craig McCrea for DNA testing, and the State Crime Lab matched it to the sample from the straw “to a likelihood of 1 in 425 trillion.”

McCrea is being held on a $1 million bond for three counts of arson. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or a fine of $50,000.