An attorney for the man accused of igniting the 391-acre Bear Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains earlier this month entered not guilty pleas on behalf of the suspected arsonist Tuesday morning.
Multiple witnesses said they saw Marlon Coy, who is also accused of looting a home evacuated by the blaze, set the fire, which wiped out six structures and forced scores of people to flee their homes.
"Let's be honest, he lit a fire that caused an evacuation and burned 300-plus acres," Santa Cruz County District Attorney Jeff Rosell said. "That's not something that happens everyday in this county, and it's arson, it's not an accident."
While in the courtroom, Coy appeared to mouth the words "you're next" to Rosell, who later said "bring it on."
Coy's attorney on Monday entered not guilty pleas on the accused's behalf for three arson charges and a not guilty plea for allegedly being a felon in possession of a gun.
Coy had already entered not guilty pleas on seven other charges related to the same time period and same location where fire investigators believe the fire started.
Coy remains jailed, and his bail sits at $800,000.
