LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — The man accused of sparking the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County and impersonating a wildland firefighter in the aftermath pleaded not guilty to all six charges against him on Wednesday morning.
Jason Alexander Hobby's plea was accepted by Judge Sarah B. Cure, who then set a trial date for July 2026.
Hobby, 50, of Loveland was arrested in September 2024 on charges of first-degree arson, two counts of impersonating a peace officer, impersonating a public servant, felony menacing, and false imprisonment. With the exception of the latter, all are felonies.
In late September 2024, the Scripps News Group obtained Hobby's arrest affidavit, which read that he had acted as a "self-proclaimed fire manager" and wanted to be seen as "the hero" during the Alexander Mountain Fire.
Watch Denver7's coverage after we scoured through his arrest affidavit in the video below.
Hobby had been employed at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch — a family-owned, 3,200-acre property in the foothills west of Loveland — up until a few three or four weeks prior to his arrest, when he was identified as the person suspected of starting the Alexander Mountain Fire.
The fire sparked on the morning of July 29, 2024 near Drake north of Highway 34, and burned 9,668 acres over about three weeks. About two weeks later, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed that the fire was human-caused and the sheriff later said it originated from a campfire ring around the top of the mountain. More than 5,000 people evacuated and about 30 homes and 20 outbuildings were destroyed. Nobody was injured. Fire damage was estimated at $30 million, plus $11 million for the firefighting efforts.
During the subsequent investigation into the cause, fire officials determined that the blaze had started from a makeshift rock firepit about 1.4 miles west of the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, along North County Road 31D. Investigators were able to determine it was caused by a person. They also found that somebody had appeared to try to extinguish the fire.
Authorities spoke with many residents of the ranch. Several of them said the only person who would have been in the area of that firepit was Hobby, who was the "self-proclaimed 'fire manager' of the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch," according to the affidavit. He lived in a residence on the property, and witnesses said it was the closest structure to the origin of the fire.
The staff told investigators that Hobby had been disciplined by the property owners on July 23, 2024 for "conducting unauthorized armed (firearm) law enforcement duties on the property, by wearing a uniform with law enforcement 'Ranger' insignia, and operating several vehicles with a 'Ranger' star on the door," the affidavit reads. The property owners had compiled a "lengthy list of infractions" reportedly committed by Hobby over the prior two years, the affidavit read. That included bullying, harassment, and incidents involving a firearm. He had been named the ranch security officer in the summer of 2022, but was demoted from that job in July 2024.
Staff said Hobby had told managers of the property that he was a firefighter in Wyoming and on his off days at the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch, he would travel to Wyoming to work as a firefighter. A special agent in charge found a person resembling Hobby was known to show up to fires in Wyoming, help the crews and then leave without pay. The affidavit reads that the Wyoming State Forestry did not have a record of Hobby being a certified firefighter or wildland firefighter at any point.
Hobby reportedly told the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch ranch manager that he was going to Wyoming on July 29, 2024 — the day of the fire — however the ranch manager reported seeing him on the property less than 90 minutes after the fire was reported, the affidavit reads.
The ranch manager also told authorities that his staff had heard firearms in the area of Alexander Mountain before the blaze ignited.
On Aug. 7, 2024, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at Hobby's residence on the ranch. During the search, authorities found a slew of clothing from various agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Wildland Fire Management and Montrose Wildland Fire, and they also found shirts that read "Chief Hobby" on it, the affidavit reads.
Some of the items had emblems of "Twin Buttes Fire Protection," however investigators could not identify that department anywhere. They also found that he owned a modified Ford with the same logos. It had been outfitted to look like a fire response vehicle. He allegedly drove the outfitted Ford to bypass road closures and access restricted areas during the Alexander Mountain Fire, representing himself to be a wildland firefighter, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said in a press conference in the fall of 2024.
They also found evidence that Hobby had impersonated law enforcement on several occasions before the fire, and stopped people on fake traffic stops on the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch property in a Chevrolet SUV designed to look like a law enforcement vehicle. In some cases, he pointed a weapon at a person and falsely claimed they were trespassing, Feyen said in 2024
Feyen said he was not aware of Hobby impersonating a law enforcement officer anytime after the fire. However, Hobby is accused of impersonating a wildland firefighter after the blaze.
On Aug. 7, 2024 — the same day that Hobby's home was searched — he consented to a voluntary interview about the fire. He denied being involved in the start of the fire.
"During that interview with Hobby, he made several statements to investigators and your affiant that were inconsistent with information and evidence observed," the affidavit reads, adding that Hobby said he was not in the state at the time.
Investigators were able to confirm that the day before the fire, he had traveled to Manville, Wyoming to work on a broken down truck. Hobby said he was there for July 28 and July 29, 2024 — the day before and day of the fire. Authorities were able to obtain surveillance footage showing him at an auto parts store for about 20 minutes starting at 7:36 a.m. on July 29. The town is about 3 hours, 15 minutes from the ranch.
Hobby took a polygraph examination and was asked if he had started the Alexander Mountain Fire. He answered no. The polygraph examiner said Hobby failed the exam and was untruthful during that question, according to the affidavit.
Investigators found Hobby's social media account on X, formerly Twitter, and looked at photos he had posted at the ranch. On the same account, they found images of Hobby dressed in clothes that read "Special Operations Wildland." They saw that on Aug. 2, 2024, a few days after the fire, he had posted about 30K burn piles that had not been ignited on the property.
During the investigation, officials also spoke with the manager of the Heart-J Center — a nonprofit educational center associated with the ranch and based on the property. The property owners had planned on putting the ranch in a legal trust to the nonprofit. According to the affidavit, Hobby did not like that the ranch was being transferred to the center and had reportedly "expressed anger, hatred, and fear of the plans for the land to go to the Heart-J Center."
The manager of Heart-J Center explained that during the fire, Hobby "played an integral role in guiding professional firefighters into the Cedar Park area," the affidavit reads. However, she said she was concerned he "created this incident to insert himself as the hero in the eyes of staff after his recent disciplinary work history." About 1,240 acres of the Sylvan Dale Ranch that burned in the fire was supposed to go to the nonprofit, the affidavit reads. The document says that Hobby told another employee that "things would be better if the Heart-J Center exploded."
During the interview, the manager provided emails that showed Hobby entering the evacuated and restricted areas of the ranch amid the fire. Hobby had provided updates via email on the damage and fire's movements, the affidavit reads.
Investigators also spoke with another staff member at the Heart-J Center, who said that she was called to a meeting with Hobby on July 30 at the fire incident command post, where he told her that he knew how the fire started and explained it was from an unattended campfire on Alexander Mountain. Multiple other people reported hearing the same information from Hobby.
However, investigators did not determine a cause until several days later, on Aug. 3.
Anybody authorized to combat wildland fires is required to have a "Red Card," which must be presented when asked. It proves that the person has attended training and is certified to do the work. Authorities confirmed Hobby did not have the card to work as a firefighting resource.
Hobby's arrest affidavit details 10 other times when he had been arrested, which ranged from impersonation charges to wearing an improper uniform to theft by misrepresentation. He also had several firearm-related charges. All of these charges were out of California.
