Man accused of igniting Holy fire found competent to stand trial

The man accused of igniting the massive Holy fire that burned more than 23,000 acres in Orange and Riverside counties is mentally competent to stand trial, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

The determination by Orange County Superior Court Judge Mike Murray that Forrest Gordon Clark, 51, is capable of understanding the charges he is facing and assisting with his own defense means the criminal proceedings against Clark have been restarted.

Clark was previously charged with six felony counts, including arson and making criminal threats. But the criminal case was temporarily paused in August, when a judge questioned Clark’s competency due to his erratic behavior in a pair of court hearings.

During two earlier hearings – the first in a jailhouse courtroom, the second at the Santa Ana courthouse – Clark repeatedly spoke over the judge and offered a series of seemingly disconnected thoughts.

The first two doctors assigned to evaluate Clark offered competing conclusions on whether he was competent to stand trial, leading   Murray in October to assign a third doctor as a tie breaker. The reports themselves are sealed by the court.

Clark, who owns a cabin in rustic Holy Jim Canyon, has been described by neighbors as erratic. Shortly after his arrest, the chief of the volunteer fire department in the canyon showed reporters a text Clark is accused of sending a week before the Holy fire, in which he allegedly said “It’s all gonna burn.”

Despite his unprompted outbursts proclaiming his innocence during his earlier arraignments, Clark has not formally entered a plea. He is scheduled to return to court for his delayed arraignment hearing on Dec. 12.

If convicted, Clark faces up to life in prison.