Prosecutors have moved to dismiss the arson charge against a Loveland man who was accused of starting the 2024 Alexander Mountain Fire, saying newly developed evidence shows he could not have been responsible for igniting the wildfire that burned nearly 10,000 acres west of Loveland.
The 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed a motion Thursday to dismiss the first-degree arson charge against Jason Alexander Hobby, 51, after what officials described as months of additional investigation that directly contradicted the original theory of the case.
“As our office and law enforcement have prepared this case for trial, additional investigation was completed that shed new light on the initial circumstantial evidence that led to Mr. Hobby’s arrest on the arson charge and directly contradicts the original theory of the case,” the district attorney’s office said in a statement. “This additional evidence indicates Mr. Hobby could not have started the Alexander Mountain Fire.”
The decision marks a dramatic reversal in one of Northern Colorado’s most closely watched wildfire investigations. Hobby was arrested in September 2024 after authorities identified him as the sole suspect in the July 29, 2024, fire that scorched 9,668 acres, destroyed more than 50 structures, including at least 26 homes, and caused more than $30 million in damage.
At the time of his arrest, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen described the case as the result of “good old-fashioned gumshoe police work.”
Investigators traced the fire’s origin to a fire ring atop Alexander Mountain and developed a largely circumstantial case centered on Hobby, a former employee of Sylvan Dale Ranch. Witnesses told investigators Hobby was likely the only person near the fire’s point of origin, and investigators said he was upset over plans by the ranch owners to transfer a portion of the property to a nonprofit organization.
Authorities also alleged Hobby had impersonated law enforcement and fire personnel. Sheriff’s investigators said he conducted unauthorized patrols in a Chevrolet SUV modified to resemble a police vehicle and operated a Ford truck altered to look like a wildfire response vehicle. He allegedly stopped motorists, pointed weapons at individuals he accused of trespassing, bypassed road closures during the fire, and falsely represented himself as a firefighter despite having no formal credentials.
However, prosecutors now say evidence related to Hobby’s whereabouts, a potential alibi, his access to the fire’s origin point, and digital data recovered from his cellphone all indicate he was unlikely to have started the blaze.
The district attorney’s office said investigators reviewed hundreds of witness interviews, hundreds of law enforcement reports, more than a terabyte of digital evidence, multiple forensic reports, and hundreds of hours of body-camera footage before reaching their conclusion. Prosecutors worked with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Forest Service to determine whether any evidence remained linking Hobby to the arson allegation.
“It would be unethical for a District Attorney’s Office to pursue a prosecution in which they did not believe the correct person was charged,” the office said.
The dismissal of the arson charge does not end Hobby’s criminal case. He still faces two felony counts of impersonating a peace officer, one felony count of menacing with a real or simulated weapon, one felony count of false imprisonment, and a misdemeanor count of impersonating a public servant. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his trial remains scheduled for July.
Hobby has remained free on bond since shortly after his September 2024 arrest.
No other arrests have been made in connection with the wildfire, and officials said all investigative avenues have been exhausted.
“We join in the significant disappointment of our community that the individual responsible for setting the fire remains unknown, and accountability for their losses has not yet come,” the district attorney’s office said. “Wildfires have been a frequent and traumatic threat to our community, and all resources to determine the identity of the person who started the fire have been expended.”
The Alexander Mountain Fire burned for nine days in the summer of 2024 and drew more than 530 local, state, and federal personnel to the firefighting effort. Despite the dismissal of the arson case against Hobby, investigators have not identified another suspect in the fire’s origin.
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