Arson case gets plea bargain

A woman accused of setting a Coeur d’Alene house on fire in December after an argument with her boyfriend during a card game pleaded guilty to malicious injury to property.

Valerie A. Chiari, 57, who is accused of attempting to burn a split level home Dec. 11 on the 1100 block of east Margaret Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, could be sentenced to as many as five years in prison after First District Judge John Mitchell accepted her guilty plea as part of an agreement.

Chiari was initially charged with second-degree arson, which carries a stiffer penalty, but Chiari’s boyfriend told the court her actions were partly his responsibility.

“We were having an argument because she was having mental issues at the house,” Larry Dean Gilbert said. “Just two people butting heads.”

Gilbert said he did not know how to calm Chiari’s mental state, and he called police after she grabbed him forcefully and would not let him go. Chiari locked herself in an upstairs bedroom where she eventually lighted some clothing on fire.

“This is on me, too,” Gilbert said. “I don’t know how to deal with people with mental issues.”

According to police reports, Chiari and Gilbert played cards when an argument erupted and Chiari threatened Gilbert with a large chunk of glass from a broken container.

Gilbert attempted to flee but Chiari pulled at his clothing, tearing off his shirt and pulled off his pants.

“Larry was only in his underwear when he fled the residence,” according to a police report.

Chiari busted out an upstairs window and held a knife when police arrived. She refused to cooperate with authorities before smoke began pouring from the broken window.

A SWAT team and the fire department responded and Chiari, who suffered minor burns and singed hair, jumped from the window to the ground, where she was arrested.

Despite urging from Gilbert, deputy prosecutor Molly Nivison asked the court Tuesday that a no-contact order not be revoked and that Chiari, who had posted bail and was not in jail, be taken back into custody pending her sentencing.

“These are dangerous and unstable behaviors,” Nivison said. “She has tested positive for marijuana and opiates.”

Defense attorneys said their client uses marijuana to calm her nerves and that the opiate results were likely from a poppy seed muffin.

Mitchell revoked the no-contact order and warned Chiari she would be re-arrested if she tested positive for drugs in the future.

Sentencing is set May 6 in Coeur d’Alene.