Charges Filed Against Detainee Accused of Starting Fire in Olmsted County Jail
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office has filed charges against a detainee accused of starting a fire in the Olmsted County Jail late last year.
The defendant in the case is also accused of inflicting thousands of dollars in damages to the jail. The fire broke out on December 4 and was believed to have been started by a paper clip being plugged into an electrical outlet, according to an Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office Spokesman.
Prosecutors filed charges Thursday of 3rd-degree arson, 4th-degree arson involving a government building and first-degree damage to property against 45-year-old Devon Sackett of Rochester. The criminal complaint says several items in Sackett’s cell were touched by the flames.
Detention deputies also noticed the cell’s toilet and sink were partially ripped out of the wall. Deputies moved Sackett to a different area of the jail once the fire started. Once he was in the different location, Sackett allegedly broke off a sprinkler head and used to break portions of a window mounted on the door of the room he was moved to.
The charges estimate the damage done to jail at $4,478.36. Sackett is also facing felony threats charges after being accused of threatening to harm two detention deputies two separate times.
Court records indicate Sackett has been convicted in Dodge County of fleeing police in a motor vehicle, terroristic threats and obstructing the legal process. No injuries were reported following the fire at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center.
