SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Two Shawano County men were arrested for allegedly setting fire to a house where they thought gold nuggets were stored.
The Shawano County Sheriff’s Office says Mattoon firefighters were called to a fire in the Town of Hutchins last Saturday afternoon. Working with the state Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation and the state fire marshal’s office, investigators determined the fire was intentionally set when a police dog sniffed out accelerants.
The sheriff’s department then arrested Corey A. Welch, 34, and Bryan M. Wendler, 37, both of the Mattoon area. Investigators say the two went to the house to find $20,000 worth of gold nuggets the house’s previous owner had hidden. When the nuggets were not found, the sheriff’s office says Welch and Wendler set the fire, using diesel fuel as an accelerant.
Welch, who was a Mattoon firefighter until resigning in January, then allegedly called 911 to report the fire. He is suspected of going to the fire station and driving a fire vehicle to the scene, without the fire department’s consent.
Neither man has been formally charged in the case. The sheriff’s office is requesting they be charged with arson, burglary, recklessly endangering safety and bail jumping.
