The man suspected of starting fires at two public schools in Kalispell earlier this month pleaded not guilty Thursday to a pair of felony arson charges.  

Dalton Andrew Cogar was arraigned before Judge Amy Eddy in Flathead County District Court on Aug. 27 and is expected back in court Dec. 15 for a pretrial conference. He remains in the county jail with bail set at $400,000. 

Authorities believe Cogar broke windows at Edgerton Elementary School and Glacier High School before tossing Molotov cocktails inside both buildings in the early morning hours of Aug. 10, according to court documents. Investigators believe he was either under the influence of drugs or suffering from a mental health crisis at the time, court documents said.  

Kalispell Police officers arriving at Edgerton about 1:24 a.m. found a window on the east side of the building shot out with a pellet gun and a large portion of the staff kitchen on fire. Investigators found evidence of two Molotov cocktails at the scene, one that made it inside and another that landed outside the window.  

Kalispell Fire officials responded to a fire alarm at Glacier about 2:01 a.m., court documents said. They found a broken window on the south side of the building and police officers located the remains of another Molotov cocktail inside a classroom.  

Turning to surveillance footage, investigators saw a man with short, dark hair in a hooded sweatshirt and light-colored paints toss Molotov cocktails into both schools. The man was driving a white Toyota Tacoma with a white topper, court documents said. 

A Ring camera located near Edgerton caught the same man taking a "God bless America" sign from a front porch before hopping back into the Tacoma, according to court documents. 

Detectives took still images of the truck to a Flathead Valley auto dealership, and members of its service department recognized the vehicle and identified Cogar as its owner.

Officers pulled Cogar over in the Tacoma about 12:25 p.m., court documents said. He allegedly told investigators he set the schools ablaze to save the children.  

Officers spotted two pellet guns inside the truck, court documents said. They also allegedly saw empty bottles and cotton cloths, which matched the remains of the Molotov cocktails recovered at the schools, in the bed of the pickup.  

During a subsequent interview, Cogar allegedly admitted setting both fires and stealing the sign.  

Cogar is a registered violent offender and on probation for an assault with a weapon charge, according to the charging documents. His substance abuse troubles have previously resulted in a probation violation, prosecutors wrote. 

Felony arson is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars and a $50,000 fine. 

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 406-758-4430 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.