A man who authorities say set fire to the historic Bidwell Mansion in Chico changed his plea in connection with the arson, a surprise move that avoids a lengthy trial but maintains the possibility of up to 11 years in prison.

Kevin Alexander Carlson, 30, entered the no-contest plea to a felony charge of arson with a sentencing enhancement before Butte Superior Court Judge Corrie J. Caraway at a Wednesday morning hearing that had originally been scheduled as a status conference.

Carlson changed his plea without making a deal with prosecutors, meaning he could receive up to the maximum sentence of 11 years, including the sentencing enhancement for using an accelerant to start the fire.

“We tried to sneak it in to avoid all the press but it didn’t work,” said Larry Pilgrim, Carlson’s public defender. The Chico Enterprise-Record and other Chico media outlets were the first to report the no-contest deal on Wednesday morning, citing a news release it received Tuesday night from the Butte County district attorney’s office.

Carlson’s sentencing is now scheduled for March 5. He remains held without bond in Butte County Jail in Oroville.

After reviewing the hours of video, evidence and reports compiled from the weekslong investigation conducted by a number of local and state agencies, Carlson decided to forgo the possibility of a long, public trial and pleaded no contest, Pilgrim said, which results in a conviction but is not an admission of guilt.

“The evidence was overwhelming,” Pilgrim added.

Carlson was arrested in early January after a weekslong investigation stemming from the blaze that began in the early-morning hours of Dec. 11 and destroyed the Bidwell Mansion, an iconic Northern California landmark.

Investigators outlined a timeline using video and evidence from throughout Chico that they have said shows Carlson buying the gas canister and supplies used to set the fire as well as his movements in the hours before and after starting the fire.

They believe Carlson broke a window on the ground floor of the mansion around 2:05 a.m. and poured gasoline inside. Video from a minute later showed two quick flashes and caught the sound of an explosion as the fire visibly grew throughout the mansion.

The mansion was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters responded.

The gutting of the mansion, which held historical significance but not without some controversy, shook the community.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey has said that investigators believe Carlson may have been politically motivated in starting the blaze, but that a clear-cut motive was not found.

“He was very regretful, very remorseful,” Pilgrim said. “He’s relatively young, doesn’t have a criminal record. … It was a cherished monument in Chico and this county. He feels like he did the right thing for the community, putting this behind everybody instead of dragging this out in a two-week trial.”