Estranged Husband: Woman Accused In Ames Church Fire a Danger To Herself if Freed from Jail

The estranged husband of a 51-year-old Ames woman charged with first-degree arson told a judge Monday that Tina Meyer would be a danger to herself if she was released from jail.

Dan Meyer said his wife, Tina Meyer, a third-grade special education teacher, has battled mental health issues for years, during a bond review hearing held in Story County's District Courthouse. Meyer is accused of setting a fire in St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Sept. 25.

“There is no way she will keep herself safe,” Dan Meyer said.

Tina Meyer has .

Meyer's attorney Maria Ruhtenberg, said Tina Meyer has served as a special education teacher for the Ballard Community School District for 14 years and had three children in the area and didn't pose a flight risk. She asked that the bond be reduced to $10,000 cash or surety.

However, Timothy Meals, assistant attorney with the Story County Attorney’s Office, argued that her bond be cash only saying that the fire caused more than $500,000 in damages and at least 30 people were in the church at the time.

“We are very concerned about what could happen if she is out on the street,” Meals said.

Judge Dale Ruigh didn't make a decision at the time of the hearing and said he expected to make a ruling on the bond late Monday afternoon or Tuesday. His high case load hadn't allowed him to review the trial information, he said.

Dan Meyer said he and Tina Meyer had been separated for more than two years and that Tina Meyer recently filed for a divorce. He said that she had suffered from mental health problems and that she had threatened and attempted suicide on multiple occasions.

“I don't see how there is any way that she would not harm herself,” Dan Meyer said.

Meyer said he and his family had been working on keeping her safe for the last 15 years and that there was no way that she would keep herself safe.

Tina Meyer attended the hearing but didn't speak. She wore a black and white striped Story County jail jumpsuit with her hands shackled to her waist and wore her hair in a bun.

Ballard Community School officials said that Meyer was under contract but currently on leave.

Ruhtenberg told Ruigh that she felt a cash bond was extreme and that Tina Meyer planned to plead not guilty.

An automatic alarm alerted firefighters to the  St. Thomas Aquinas Church fire about 9:30 p.m. Sept. 25. Flames were contained within a second story sitting area. However smoke filled the building leaving a thin film of soot behind and heat melted some of the light fixtures which has temporarily displaced the congregation.