Former Owner Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Torching Press Bar and Parlor

(KNSI) — The Press Bar and Parlor owner will spend six years behind bars and pay $3 million in restitution after pleading guilty to setting the business on fire.

See video from the fire here.

Andrew Welsh pleaded guilty in May to one count of arson.

Firefighters were called to the Press in the early morning hours of February 17th, 2020, after residents living in the building next door reported seeing smoke from their windows. Court documents say Welsh dumped an accelerant all over his basement office before setting it ablaze and fleeing the scene. The fire ultimately destroyed the building and heavily damaged other nearby businesses.

A few days later, Welsh hired a Public Insurance Adjuster to assist in preparing, presenting, and adjusting claims connected to the fire. He later claimed he was due $1,430,123.28 for property damage and other losses using the adjuster. He says Welsh admitted he lied when he submitted the claim saying he “said the loss did not originate by any act, design, or procurement on the part of your insured.”

The St. Cloud Police Department, St. Cloud Fire Department, State Fire Marshals, Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case. The Stearns County Attorney’s Office assisted them.

Court documents say Welsh and his ex-wife were ordered to sell the bar in January 2020, but it was never listed. The bar was insured for over $1.3 million, not including the value of the property.

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