Local man pleads no contest to felony arson

A Whitefish man has pleaded no contest to felony arson after allegedly trying to burn down his ex-girlfriend’s Whitefish home.

James Wallace Langley, entered the plea last week in Flathead District Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in April of last year.

A plea agreement calls for a six-year deferred sentence and requires Langley to pay more than $2,500 in restitution.

Langley is a former recreation manager for the city of Whitefish and former coach of the Glacier Twins baseball team.

According to court documents, the Whitefish Fire Department responded to the Highland Drive home in the early morning hours of Oct. 8, 2013, after the homeowner woke up and saw a flash outside his window. Upon further investigation, he found his siding and a gas can in his yard both on fire.

The man put out the fires with a fire extinguisher, revealing a fire trail from the gas can to the side of the house.

The man identified Langley, his daughter’s ex-boyfriend, as a suspect, and in a later interview, Langley allegedly denied ever touching the gas can or being involved in the fire, despite admitting he was at the house during the morning of the fire.

Langley reportedly provided a DNA sample voluntarily.

The court document alleges the Montana State Crime Lab later matched DNA on the gas can lid to the sample provided by Langley.

— The Associated Press contributed to this story