Man faces arson charges

A 60-year-old Mahtowa Township man was charged with arson after allegedly setting a barn on fire following a dispute.

Dennis James Jurek was charged in Sixth District Carlton County Court Tuesday, June 11, with first- and second-degree felony arson, felony first-degree damage to property with foreseeable risk of bodily harm and three gross misdemeanor charges of physically assaulting and interfering with a police officer.

According to the criminal complaint, at approximately 9:52 p.m. Sunday, June 9, Fond du Lac and assisting law enforcement responded to a report that a tenant staying at a property on the 4100 block of Kari Road had intentionally set a large barn on fire there.

The caller told dispatchers that the tenant, Jurek, had consumed alcohol, was “messed up,” and was putting himself in danger by being in the loft of the barn and throwing hay onto the existing fire.

The barn was fully engulfed in flames when law enforcement arrived. They found Jurek sitting in a nearby field observing the fire. He resisted when they grabbed him to bring him to a safer location, according to the report, kicking a deputy. He was placed in a locked squad vehicle.

Jurek, a woman and another man were all tenants on the property, which belongs to an unnamed person who is currently incarcerated.

The other tenants told police Jurek had been drinking and became verbally aggressive with the woman, calling her names. The other man later confronted him about his behavior, and Jurek allegedly became angry and pushed him. When the man demanded he let him go, Jurek walked outside toward the barn.

Soon after, the other tenant noticed the backside of the barn was on fire. The man claimed he yelled at Jurek, “You set the barn on fire,” and Jurek allegedly responded, “That felt good,” and “I enjoyed it.”

The woman told police she went outside to rescue her chickens and allegedly heard Jurek pushing hay bales down onto the fire, providing material to burn. It was the second time he set the barn on fire, she said. The first time was in 2023.

According to the criminal complaint, the barn was a place where transient folks would sometimes reside, which allowed an enhanced arson charge with “possibility of person present.”

Bail was set at $15,000 cash or $150,000 bond.