(KNSI) – Prosecutors have dismissed arson charges against a Sartell man after the defense raised questions about the investigation.
Erin Michael Idzerda was charged with first-degree arson in March of 2021 for allegedly setting fire to his mother-in-law’s house to avoid cleaning up her hoarding problem and to collect the insurance money. Police were called to fire in the 800 block of 2 ½ Street North in Sartell on June 14th, 2019.
According to court records, prosecutors dropped the charge on Tuesday in the interest of justice. Idzerda’s attorney, Ken Wilson, sent an email to KNSI stating, “The prosecutor has dismissed the charges after a defense fire investigator reviewed the evidence and determined that the initial investigations about what happened were not done in a scientific manner and not generally accepted within the professional fire investigation community.”
At the time of the fire, neighbors reported seeing cracked windows and dark soot. Investigators searched the home and found smoke damage throughout the house and heavy fire damage in the basement.
Police spoke with Idzerda, who had been watching the house since 2017 while his mother-in-law was undergoing cancer treatments. A few weeks before the fire, Idzerda’s wife was included in her mother’s estate and entitled to 50% of the house’s value. Shortly after the fire, the mother-in-law died.
Idzerda and his wife filed an insurance claim for the home.
According to court records, Idzerda told the insurance company that he didn’t want to deal with the mess left by his mother-in-law’s hoarding and watching the house had become a hardship for the family.
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