Woman charged in connection with Watertown arson fire

WATERTOWN (WITI) -- 28-year-old Trisha Krueger of Watertown faces several charges in connection with a weekend fire in Watertown.

Krueger faces one count of arson of a building, and six counts of second degree recklessly endangering safety.

Krueger also faces two counts of disorderly conduct (domestic abuse) and one count of misdemeanor battery for an alleged fight with her ex-boyfriend a few days before the fire.

Fire officials in Watertown early Sunday morning, September 29th battled a blaze above Stacy’s Bar at 501 N. Fourth Street.

Several departments were called in to battle the three-alarm blaze Sunday morning.

Officials say two people jumped from the second floor in the rear to escape the fire. An occupant from the second floor had to be rescued. All three were taken to the hospital.

There was extensive damage to the building as a result of the fire.

At the scene of the fire, a criminal complaint indicates Krueger approached officials, asking if she could get into an apartment in the building to retrieve her belongings.

Then, officials were approached by Krueger's ex-boyfriend, who told officials Krueger was responsible for the fire, according to the complaint. The complaint says Krueger's ex-boyfriend showed officials a text message from Krueger stamped at 2:00 a.m. on September 29th saying "I don't need no water, because you will burn."

According to the complaint, Krueger's ex-boyfriend told officials Krueger had been threatening to burn all of his stuff for the past several days. Krueger's ex-boyfriend told officials the two had broken up a few weeks ago, and she was due to move out of the apartment on September 30th, according to the complaint.

The criminal complaint says earlier in the day, Krueger and her ex-boyfriend had gotten into an argument, and she had hit him several times -- according to the ex-boyfriend.

The complaint says Krueger showed up at the Watertown Police Department on Sunday morning around 5:00 a.m., during which time her ex-boyfriend arrived, and informed police about other incidents, and police had probable cause to arrest Krueger for domestic battery and domestic disorderly conduct, which had occurred before the fire.

That's when the complaint indicates Krueger agreed to share her side of the story.

Krueger told officials the two had been living together for about six years, and have a six-year-old child in common.

The complaint says Krueger told officials the two got into an argument on the day of the fire.

Krueger told officials she showed up during the fire, and saw her ex-boyfriend outside the burning apartment building, and told officials he still wanted to argue, even though their stuff was burning, according to the criminal complaint.

Krueger told officials she went to several bars before the fire, and from there, she went to the apartment and decided to start the fire. Krueger told officials she lit some clothes and the bed on fire, along with the kids' bunk beds, a blanket on a chair in the living room and clothes in the closet, according to the complaint.

The complaint says Krueger told officials she wanted to do this because she wanted her ex-boyfriend to feel like he had to start all over, from scratch, saying this is how he was making her feel.

Then, according to the complaint, Krueger drove around, watching the flames.