A Coeur d’Alene chiropractor and another man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to setting fire to a Spokane Valley strip mall after plans to open a pot business there fell through.
A federal indictment alleges they tried to collect insurance on the location.
Pavel Shevchenko, 24, and Burk A. Thomas, 33, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of conspiracy to commit arson and malicious use of fire to damage property. Thomas additionally pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and use of fire to commit a federal felony, after investigators learned he’d sought additional insurance coverage for two strip mall suites at 9827 E. Sprague Ave. in the days before the Sept. 27 fire.
Shevchenko was jailed Nov. 10, and the complaint containing details of the investigation remains under seal in the federal courts. However, the indictment handed down by a grand jury Tuesday alleges…
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