MADISON, Wis (WSAU-Wheeler News) A 50-year-old Dane County man has been released from jail, three days after he was arrested for allegedly burning down a house where a sex offender was planning to move in. The man was freed at a bond hearing in court yesterday. Charges have not been filed, and the suspect’s lawyer said it was because prosecutors don’t have enough facts to justify a criminal complaint. The judge agreed, and freed the man on a signature bond.
If charges are filed, the lawyer said his client would not be a risk for leaving the area. He was at a relative’s house when he was arrested Monday in Muscoda. The fire occurred Sunday night at a house in Cottage Grove where the state was planning to have released sex offender Howard Nyberg move in. There was a fire at the same house in December, and the damage was repaired before the second blaze. WISC TV in Madison said the man was treated at a hospital for burns, and was taken to jail on Tuesday.
Sheriff’s officials said the man was shown on surveillance video carrying gas cans toward the house — but investigators have not found the actual gas cans. Authorities have offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
