SANDPOINT — A federal judge has again declined to grant the pretrial release of a Bonner County man indicted in California on charges alleging he molested a teenager.

Judge Thomas J. Whelan found there was probable cause to believe David Charles Jacquot committed the offenses and has ample motive flee to avoid prosecution, according to a Sept. 19 detention order filed in U.S. District Court in San Diego.

Jacquot, a 47-year-old attorney who lived in Vay, faces three mandatory minimum sentences of five years and a maximum of 90 years if convicted. Whelan’s order affirms a prior detention order issued in the case.

A federal grand jury indicted Jacquot last month on three counts of transportation of a minor with the intent to commit sexual activity. Jacquot allegedly flew the teen from Spokane, Wash., to San Diego on three occasions in 2006, when the girl was 15-16 years old.

Jacquot’s San Diego attorney, Michael L. Crowley, said he intends to vigorously defend his client against the “unfounded” charges.

Jacquot’s indictment came five months after a mysterious fire destroyed his Vay home. New details about the March 11 blaze emerged through recently filed federal court documents.

Jacquot’s wife and son awoke during the fire to the sounds of dogs barking and breaking glass. They managed to escape, but Jacquot was initially nowhere to be found.

“He was later seen by medical personnel crawling in an open field to the south. They did not know where he came from or how he got so far from the home,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Kelly said in court documents.

Jacquot appeared partially conscious and had minor contusions to his head, a cauterized wound to his hand and was apparently unable to speak. Bonner County Sheriff’s detectives said Jacquot was fully clothed and did not smell of smoke or have any soot on him, according to Kelly.

Investigators later found blood and a blood smear on a Quonset hut 100 feet north of the residence, in addition to pieces of a semiautomatic pistol, full and partially expended ammunition magazines, spent shell casings, a walkie-talkie, and eyeglasses — items which allegedly belonged to Jacquot.

Local authorities have deemed the fire suspicious. Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said Jacquot was  person of interest in the incident, but no criminal charges have been filed.

The fire occurred six days after Jacquot discovered that the teen had disclosed the alleged molestation to a counselor, Kelly said in court documents.

The fire also uncovered a cache of more than 40 firearms and about 40 pounds of gunpowder. A Glock handgun with an obliterated serial number was also found in the ruins of the residence.

A recent analysis by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms was able “raise” the serial number and found that it was reported stolen in 2001 by a former law partner of Jacquot’s in San Diego, federal prosecutors said.

Jacquot, who was awaiting trial in a tax fraud case in California, was originally barred from possessing firearms. A judge later amended the terms of his conditional release and allow Jacquot to possess a single firearm for protection, but the discovery of the other weaponry caused his bail to be revoked.