Bond reduction denied for Dakota Harper in Charleston arson case

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS) — A Kanawha County judge denied a move for a bond reduction in Dakota Harper’s arson case Thursday.

An attorney for Harper, 22, was seeking to have his $20,000 cash bond include a surety or property so that Harper could post the bond and serve home confinement at a long-term inpatient recovery facility in Parkersburg.

Harper and his girlfriend, 22-year-old Felicity Eatmon, were charged with conspiracy to commit arson and first-degree arson in late September after a fire destroyed an abandoned home in the 400 block of Maryland Avenue and caused significant damage to a nearby church.

Attorney Michael Carey said Thursday that being able to serve home confinement at the Parkersburg facility would allow Harper to get away from an environment in Charleston that he said is not beneficial for his client.

“Recovery Point in Parkersburg would get him away from the environment in Charleston, it would get him from people trying to use his name and influence to increase their Facebook marketplace,” Carey said.

Prosecutors contended that being in Parkersburg would make it harder for Harper to be monitored and claimed that he’d be a flight risk.

“There’s nothing keeping Dakota from cutting that bracelet off or just walking out the door,” the prosecutor said.

In its objection to the bond reduction, the prosecutor’s office also cited the seriousness of the alleged crime, evidence – including surveillance video that allegedly shows Harper and Eatmon at the scene and later returning – as well as the damage the fire caused to a nearby church.

As a result of Thursday’s hearing, Harper remains held on a $20,000 cash only bond with home confinement required.

Harper and Eatmon were arrested and charged a few days after the Sept. 27 fire. Harper’s bond was initially set at $10,000 and then raised to $20,000.

During a probe of the blaze, the complaint said investigators obtained surveillance video showing Harper and Eatmon in an adjacent alleyway prior to the fire.

In the video, Eatmon can be seen providing Harper with what appears to be a piece of paper that was then lit on fire and placed inside the home, the complaint said.

Shortly after, the pair could be seen partially entering the home while the fire continued to grow, according to the complaint. Investigators said the video then shows Eatmon leaving the area. Harper had already left the field of view of the surveillance video.

The adjacent Canaan United Methodist Church sustained more than $10,000 in estimated damage as a result of the blaze, according to the complaint.

Prior to their arrest, Harper and Eatmon had amassed a large following on social media where they and others shared videos of the couple’s life.

Eatmon remains held on a $10,000 bond.