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Man charged with burning Burlington historic mansion
Racine County prosecutors have now charged the man accused of setting his historic home on fire last Friday, Nov. 22.
BURLINGTON, Wis. - Racine County prosecutors have now charged the man accused of setting his historic home on fire last Friday, Nov. 22.
First, Robert Staton is charged with a misdemeanor for the negligent handling of burning materials, and two felony bail jumping counts.
The criminal complaint said he eventually admitted to starting fires in the historic Meinhardt Mansion’s fireplaces.
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For the second time in three months, Staton watched from the Racine County Jail as prosecutors made their case.
Robert Staton
Erickson: "Mr. Staton burned his house to the ground. It's uninhabitable, endangering every single firefighter or professional who went in there and tried to put the fire out."
This time, the criminal complaint said the 65-year-old first told responding police officers he didn't know what happened as they approached his burning Burlington mansion early Friday morning.
Police never found anyone.
Burlington historic mansion fire; owner has 'adversarial' history with city
The fire at an historic home in Burlington on Friday, Nov. 22, was the culmination of a months-long strife between the property owner, who police arrested for starting the fire, and the city, according to city and county records.
Hours later, the criminal complaint said Staton eventually admitted to using cardboard, wood and a lighter to start fires in each of his home's four fireplaces around 1 a.m. Friday.
Erickson: "He was drunk, and I'll notice that those fireplaces could not burn wood fires, because they're too shallow. I think it's unfortunately the definition of negligent and a safety risk."
Staton told police he did so to "keep the workers warm" as the home is being renovated.
But Staton never had a permit for any work, which had been a point of contention with the city.
The complaint also alleges that the day before the fire, Staton ran into the fire department's inspector at a local restaurant, thanked him for his service and gave him a $100 bill.
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Prosecutors say the inspector used the money to pay for Staton's food.
Then at a nearby stoplight, when the inspector thanked Staton, he was accused of responding, saying, "No problem, if my house ever catches fire, just let it burn."
Staton denied saying that.
He's now being held on a $15,000 bond.
Should it be posted again, the commissioner ordered Staton not to step foot on his property and he must stay sober, though court documents show he hasn't done that for his first case.
He is facing nearly 13 years in prison if convicted.