Kevin Alexander Carlson, 30, appeared in court today for arraignment where he was charged with felony arson of the historic Bidwell Mansion.
No plea was entered. Carlson represented himself in the courtroom and said he wanted to hire his own lawyer. The judge assigned him a public defender until another is retained.
After the hearing, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey held a press conference. Ramsey said the motive remains largely unclear, but it may have been political as investigators found a TikTok account of Carlson’s that Ramsey described as having “communist, Marxist, left wing” ideologies.
“But even further, channels that would indicate anti-colonialism,” Ramsey said.
Carlson’s specific ideology has been difficult to determine, Ramsey said, because almost no online presence has been found. Ramsey said there has been no indication the motive has a specific connection to the Bidwell Mansion.
“But his family indicated that he has for a number of years had that ideology. It has caused a rift in his family,” Ramsey said. “He is basically estranged from his family.”
Carlson did not appear to have a job and did not interact with many people in his apartment complex.
“Virtually no one knew him,” Ramsey said.
Carlson was born in Paradise, graduated from Paradise High School and obtained a mathematics degree from Chico State.
He now faces between six and 11 years in prison for the alleged arson. He is currently being held without bail at Butte County Jail until his next hearing on Wednesday.
Officials had to search through “almost two terabytes” of security footage obtained with “well over a dozen search warrants” during the investigation.
Investigators determined a window of the mansion had been broken, then an accelerant was poured inside of the window and on the porch.
Ramsey said the suspect purchased gasoline and used it in the fire. A Molotov cocktail may have also been used, according to security footage from Northern Star Mills, which showed an explosion.
Bidwell Mansion had both a fire alarm and security system installed. Officials say it is not currently clear why these systems failed. The security system was reported to have been functioning the afternoon before the fire.
The investigation was a collaboration between multiple agencies, local, state and federal. This included the Chico Police Department, the Chico State Police Department, the Butte County Sheriff’s Office, Cal Fire, several arson task forces and the FBI.
Erik Adams contributed to this reporting.
