Shant Michael Soghomonian, who allegedly set an entry door ablaze at the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders last week, appeared in court on Tuesday, facing a federal charge of using fire to damage a building used in interstate commerce.
Soghomonian, 35, arrived in handcuffs for a preliminary hearing at the U.S. District Court in Burlington. He remains held at Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans and is scheduled to return to court Thursday for a hearing on his detention.
During the brief hearing, Magistrate Judge Kevin Doyle informed Soghomonian of his rights and told him that prosecutors had elected to wait two days before holding another hearing to consider his detention. No plea was entered, and because he is charged with a violent crime, Soghomonian was not released.
Security footage showed Soghomonian “spraying a liquid near the outer door” of Sanders’ third-floor office at One Church Street in the city’s downtown, “and then lighting the area with a handheld lighter,” police have said.
Several staff members were inside the office and the fire briefly blocked their exit, “endangering their lives,” according to police. Sanders was not at the office at the time of the fire.
Police believe Soghomonian was hanging around Sanders’ office the day prior to the fire, court documents show, and that the suspect was a “long-term guest” at a South Burlington hotel prior to the alleged crime.
His earlier presence at the office, court documents indicated, might suggest “a potential planned act as opposed to a spontaneous incident.”
Soghomonian was arrested Sunday at a Shelburne hotel. Police first located his car, a Subaru with New York plates, ultimately discovering the suspect in a room nearby, according to court documents.
In Tuesday’s hearing, Soghomonian was represented by Barclay Johnson, a federal public defender.
Judge Doyle told Soghomonian that a pretrial services report would be prepared for Thursday’s hearing, helping inform the court’s decision on whether or not the 35-year-old man would remain held while awaiting trial.
