Suspected arsonist wanted to play hero

After two years of violations at the Sylvan Dale Ranch near Loveland, the 49-year-old man charged with arson in the Alexander Mountain fire may have wanted to play hero, according to an affidavit.

According to Larimer County officials, Jason Hobby was arrested earlier this month in connection with the Larimer County wildfire that charred nearly 10,000 acres of land and caused more than $30 million in damage to private and public property.

The fire, which burned for more than two weeks, destroyed 29 homes and 21 outbuildings and damaged another four homes. On August 17, emergency services completely contained the flames.

Among the destroyed land was 1,240 acres that the owners of Sylvan Dale Ranch planned to donate to the Heart-J Center for Experimental Learning — an education-based nonprofit organization, investigators said.

A manager at the Heart-J Center told investigators that Hobby was a strong opponent of the plan and said the 49-year-old told his colleagues that “things would be better if the Heart-J Center exploded.”

Hobby is charged with arson, criminal threatening, impersonating a public official, false imprisonment and two counts of impersonating a police officer, according to court records.

During interviews, a ranch employee told investigators that Hobby played a “significant role” in leading professional firefighters to the Cedar Park area during the Alexander Mountain fire and that he was “concerned” that “Hobby had this.” Incident created to embed himself as a hero in the area.” “Staff’s eyes are drawn to his recent disciplinary history,” according to an affidavit from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

Hobby also sent colleagues several videos of himself in restricted areas while wearing a fake firefighter uniform with the Twin Buttes Fire Protection District and Wildland Management emblem, investigators said in the affidavit. The Twin Buttes Fire Protection District does not exist.

In the videos, Hobby entered evacuated buildings and restricted areas to report on the damage and the direction the fire was spreading, investigators said.

The owners of the ranch property promoted Hobby to security guard two years ago, the affidavit states. He began wearing a uniform and installed emergency lights in his personal vehicle to conduct traffic stops.

Over the last two years, Hobby got into trouble for harassing and bullying Sylvan Dale Ranch staff, intimidating guests and “frequently” pointing guns at people entering the property, according to the affidavit.

In an incident in March 2023, two brothers visited Sylvan Dale Ranch to photograph bighorn sheep wandering on the property, investigators said in the affidavit.

The couple told sheriff’s officials that while they were setting up camera equipment outside their car, Hobby pulled up next to them, got out of the car wearing a uniform with patches and insignia reminiscent of a police officer, and pointed a handgun at them.

Hobby told the two they were under arrest for trespassing but eventually released them, the affidavit said. Both brothers told investigators they thought Hobby was law enforcement and that they would be shot.

According to the affidavit, Hobby was relieved of security duties in July 2024 after the owners learned of the repeated incidents.

The 49-year-old self-proclaimed “fire chief” at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch also lied to the property owners about being a firefighter from Wyoming, investigators said in the affidavit. He told the owners that on his days off, he would travel from the ranch to Wyoming – about three hours away – to work as a firefighter.