Probation For MN Man Accused of Trapping Parents in Burning Home

Roseville, MN (MinnesotaNow) - A Minnesota man has been sentenced to probation in a case in which he was accused of trapping his parents in the basement of their home before setting the house on fire.

Twenty-nine-year-old Andrew Michael Alvarez was arrested last June after police and firefighters responded to his family's home in Roseville after receiving a 911 call from his father. Court documents say the father reported that he and Alvarez's mother found themselves trapped in the basement after hearing a "whoosh" and discovering a fire at the top of the stairs.

Rescued by Police Officers

The criminal complaint filed against their son says Roseville police rescued the couple by assisting their escape through a basement egress window. They reported that their son could still be inside the home and informed officers that he was a heavy drug user who liked to hide in closets.

Ample Evidence of Arson

The court document says Roseville firefighters extinguished a fire in the kitchen of the home, which damaged the stairs and walls in the basement stairwell. They also found fires burning in two bedrooms and ample evidence that they had been intentionally set. The criminal complaint says the entire main level of the house smelled of lighter fluid, and one of the knobs on the gas stove in the kitchen had been left in the "on" position.

Alvarez was eventually located in a nearby convenience store. The criminal complaint says he denied trying to kill his parents but did not deny setting the fires.

Charged With Attempted Murder

He was charged with two counts of second-degree attempted murder and one count of first-degree arson. Through a plea agreement, Alvarez admitted to the arson charge in exchange for the dismissal of the attempted murder charges.

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No Prison Time

He was sentenced Friday to five years of probation. He was also given a 162-day jail sentence, but that was fully satisfied with credit for the time he has spent in jail since his arrest. The sentencing order also includes a stayed 81-month prison sentence that could be imposed if he fails to complete probation.