The 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office has dropped all charges against Bradley Clark, a Durango man accused of setting fire to the chip aisle in the south City Market more than five years ago.
The decision came after the most recent mistrial, which concluded in early February, when a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. It was the second mistrial in a case that was tried three times.
Clark was arrested in 2019 after a fire broke out in the snack aisle of City Market’s south Durango location, causing more than $76,000 in damages. Investigators alleged that Clark deliberately ignited the fire, though no surveillance footage captured the incident.
District Attorney Sean Murray said prosecutors decided to dismiss the case after speaking with jurors, who identified a lack of surveillance footage as a significant challenge in reaching a verdict.
“That sort of formed our discussion with City Market about, you know, is it a good use of our time and resources to go forward again,” Murray said.
On Feb. 28, all charges against Clark, 52, were formally dismissed.
The dismissal ends an almost six-year legal battle for Clark.
After serving two years of a four-year prison sentence, the Colorado Court of Appeals overturned his conviction in 2023. The court ruled that evidence of Clark’s prior arrest had been improperly introduced during his trial.
Clark’s wife, Terisa Clark, said in an email to The Durango Herald that Clark has maintained his innocence throughout the entirety of his legal battles.
“Liberty has been restored to Dr. Clark’s life, and he is set to resume his important work as a writer, teacher and researcher of environmental protection in the American West,” she said. “He anticipates reconnecting with his family and those who supported him during this difficult ordeal.”
Efforts to reach Bradley Clark or his wife were not immediately successful Monday.
jbowman@durangoherald.com
