The trial for suspected Dolan Fire arsonist remains stalled, 15 months after it began.

The 2020 Dolan Fire scorched 125,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest, injured several firefighters, destroyed 20 structures, was presumed responsible for the death of nine California condors and cost at least $62 million to contain.

Ivan Geronimo Gomez, 32, was arrested last August, charged with starting the blaze and has been held on a $2 million bail since. His big day in court was supposed to be Oct. 4, delayed to Oct. 18. Then, on Oct. 15, the Friday before his rescheduled trial date, Gomez’s attorney from the public defender’s office, Michael Belter, collapsed before reaching the metal detectors at the entrance of the Monterey County courthouse in Salinas. Belter was unconscious for several minutes and required CPR and three defibrillator shocks before being rushed to the hospital with signs of life. Security guards who were at the scene say the episode was “shocking.” Sources inside the public defender’s office say Belter’s health has improved but he has not yet returned to work.

Meredith Sillman, the prosecutor in the case, says the sides will meet in court on Nov. 17 to reassess where they are and pick new dates for the trial.

Gomez, who was tied to an illegal cannabis operation in the Los Padres National Forest and was picked up by police after reports that he was throwing rocks at cars along Highway 1, faces five felony charges: aggravated arson; arson of a structure or forest; arson causing great bodily injury; throwing a substance at a vehicle; and marijuana cultivation. Although he told detectives last year that he started the blaze, he gave varying reasons why, from wanting to create smoke to get rid of spiders, to wanting to hurt his coworkers.