Suspect in Army Surplus arson makes first appearance in court

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

Fewer than two weeks after a fire destroyed the Army Surplus 1 store at Oak Street and Fifth Avenue during a dramatic July 4 blaze, Sandpoint police announced July 16 that they had identified a suspect in what has been classified as arson.

Jennifer S. Meyer, 50, of Sandpoint was interviewed by the Sandpoint Police Department on July 16 and arrested on suspicion of first-degree arson. She made her first appearance before Magistrate Judge Luke Hagelberg on the afternoon of July 17, where he set her bond at $1 million, citing “great concerns with regard to flight.”

If convicted, Meyer could face up to 25 years in jail, fines of up to $100,000 or both.

The booking photo of Jennifer S. Meyer. Photo courtesy BCSO.

The motive for the fire remains unknown, and the investigation is ongoing. 

Officials ask anyone who may have spoken with Meyer on July 4 or have any other information to contact the Sandpoint Police Department at 208-265-1482.

Her appearance before the court had been intended as a video conference from the Bonner County Jail, but after being led into the room where the Zoom call was to take place, she could be heard saying, “I can’t do this — no — I can’t do this on video. … I can’t do video.”

Despite jail personnel urging her to sit for the hearing, Meyer refused to reenter the room, repeating, “I just can’t do this.”

Hagelberg then directed jail personnel to bring Meyer to the courtroom in person and, after a delay of about 20 minutes, during which two other cases were heard, she arrived in a yellow jumpsuit, wearing orange rubber shoes, and cuffed at both the ankles and wrists.

Upon being seated and asked by the court for her name, Meyer lowered her head onto the table in front of her and refused to communicate.

Surrounded by bailiffs, Meyer remained in that position as Hagelberg indicated that since the court had heard her speak and interact in the video from the jail, “I feel that you can in fact hear.”

Hagelberg read the maximum penalties for first-degree arson and the notification of Meyer’s rights, saying that while, “I do not see that you are communicating with the court,” noted that she had already signed a notification, which explained her rights.

Given Meyer’s uncommunicative posture — and based on her inability to pay — Hagelberg then stated that she qualified for a public defender. 

Bonner County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Katie Sherritt lined out the “significant concerns” relevant to the case.

According to Sherritt, Meyer had lived in multiple states and residences and, while no prior criminal record had been found, posed a high likelihood of fleeing the state.

Sherritt said that when a search warrant was served at Meyer’s residence, authorities discovered a bag near the door containing about $1,000, a 9 millimeter handgun and ammunition, $1,200 in silver, vehicle titles, passport, birth certificate and college transcript.

Beyond the flight risk, Sherritt pointed to the nature of the crime and the “devastation” it caused to Army Surplus owner Cornel Rasor and his family’s livelihood — as well as the grave public danger posed by the fire itself, which in addition to destroying merchandise and personal items caused an unknown, though large, amount of ammunition to explode inside the building.

“She lit this fire at approximately 10:15 p.m. [on July 4] … which is probably one of the busiest times in Sandpoint,” Sherritt said, underscoring that the blaze took off just as “hundreds or thousands of people are getting ready to walk past that building.”

Deputy Public Defender Jeremy Reagan stated that, “It sounds like she was cooperative,” noting that Meyer went willingly to be interviewed by police.

Hagelberg imposed standard conditions of release, and noted that there were no drug or alcohol allegations against Meyer in connection to the case.

“It is really a miracle that no one was seriously injured or worse,” he said.

Meyer only lifted her head from the table when it was time to rise and leave the courtroom.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31 for a preliminary hearing.

Approached by local media outside the courthouse following the hearing, Rasor — who is also the Republican candidate for the Idaho House 1B seat in the November 2024 election — said he had no further comment at the time, though posted on his Facebook page later in the afternoon, in part, that, “If she did this, she needs to pay the penalty for it. It was the wanton destruction of an entire lifetime of work of someone whom I think she did not know. At least that’s my initial assessment because I don’t know her.”

However, he added that he hoped Meyer would find faith in Jesus Christ, “cast her sins upon Him, repent and trust Him to forgive her. I have done this by the grace of God and I know true peace. I would that she would know that kind of peace.”

Referring to Meyer’s lack of response and communication in the courtroom, Rasor continued, “She is clearly distraught, mixed up and devastated at least as nearly as I can tell by what she now realizes is the complete destruction of her life. I wish that upon no one. I was not given an opportunity to talk with her. But my prayer will be that she hears the gospel and responds to it.”

Outside of Meyer’s business — Bonner Media, a sign and printing company she has owned and operated since late 2020 — there is scant publicly available information about her.

According to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, Meyer’s business lists a mailing address in Sandpoint and registered agent address in Ponderay. However, its principal address is given in Sagle and corresponds to the home address of Steve Johnson, a longtime local resident, former educator and political candidate seeking the District 1 Bonner County commissioner seat as a Democrat in the November 2024 general election.

Prior Bonner Media business records available through the Secretary of State’s Office indicate Meyer’s registered office/agent addresses have also included Cocolalla and — from Nov. 30, 2022-Nov. 30, 2023 — Johnson’s address.

Johnson told the Reader that he’d already been in contact with SPD about the apparent connection, and said that Meyer rented a room at his family farm between 2017 and 2019, “and when she was here she was an earthy-type person; she had quite a garden” and was involved in area farmers’ markets.

“A little over four years ago she kind of quit doing that, so she left the farm and I haven’t had any interaction with her since,” Johnson said.

“I don’t know why she would have kept this address, because it doesn’t make any sense,” he added, referring to the business filings with the Secretary of State. “She hasn’t lived here for over four years.”

During the time that she did live on Johnson’s property, he said he was aware that she’d spent some time in Arizona and never noticed any erratic or otherwise unusual behavior.

“To my knowledge, I never saw or had any indication that she did any drugs or anything,” he said. “It’s just one of those things and you read about it in the paper and you go, ‘Wow, that doesn’t fit with that person.’ If she’d been doing any of those things we wouldn’t have rented to her.”

Johnson added that Meyer “was not political whatsoever — at least not that I ever saw or heard,” and reiterated that she was an “earthy-type person” and “didn’t seem interested in politics at all.”

“It’s just real out of character, unless something really terrible has happened in her life,” he said.

According to the July 16 announcement, Sandpoint police received several tips from community members, which detectives spent days assessing alongside hours of surveillance footage from the incident. 

Those tips, video and “good old-fashioned police work” resulted in the identification of Meyer, SPD stated.

According to a previous news release from the city of Sandpoint, footage showed an individual — now suspected to be Meyer — heading east on Oak Street at about 10 p.m., then walking through the parking lot behind Army Surplus and into the alley, where she stopped halfway down the building and approached its south wall.

“After a short period, a flame on the south wall is observed,” the city stated. “The individual is observed stepping back from the flame before walking east to Fifth Avenue and leaving south.”

The recordings shared with the public and media do not depict the start of the fire.

SPD is assisting the Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with investigating the fire, which authorities announced on July 8 had been classified as arson.

Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm applauded the Sandpoint Police and Fire departments at the regular July 17 meeting of the City Council, singling out Police Chief Corey Coon as “the man of the hour.”

“Great work Chief Coon on the identification of a suspect in the arson,” he said. “Just tremendous work, thanks to your crew and all those out there protecting us.”

Coon said SPD staff “has done a fantastic job of stepping up, working late hours trying to resolve that case.”

He reiterated that the investigation is ongoing and encouraged the community to assist in gathering information.

“If you know her, if you associated with her, if you have any information that can help us in our investigation, don’t be afraid to call us,” he said, later confirming that tips are made anonymously.

“It helps kind of paint a picture of what’s happening and what’s going on,” he said.

Those with information about the July 4 fire are asked to contact the Sandpoint Police Department at 208-265-1482.

Editor’s note: This story has been amended to include that Army Surplus 1 owner Cornel Rasor is the Republican candidate for the Idaho House 1B seat in the November 2024 election.