OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ) – A man charged in a fatal home fire pleaded not guilty on Monday.
29-year-old Vernon Williams is charged with neglect following a September 6 fire in Menasha that resulted in the death of an 18-month-old child.
Williams has admitted that he was sleeping while the fire started.
Court records show that he’ll be back in court on January 28 for a pre-trial conference and no trial date is set.
A 5-year-old girl told investigators that she and another 3-year-old child were playing inside an apartment, with the 18-year-old nearby, according to the criminal complaint. The 3-year-old set a blanket on fire with a lighter and the 5-year-old helped that child get out, but couldn’t carry the baby.
The complaint shows that a later blood test reveals Williams had a blood alcohol level at the time of .257.
Burns covered seventy percent of the child that died in the fire.
