Mukwonago house fire; man accused, possible 'mental health break'
Gary Genzmer
MUKWONAGO, Wis. - A 50-year-old Mukwonago man is accused of setting his own house on fire – and endangering the lives of two other people in the home. The accused is Gary Genzmer – and he faces the following criminal counts:
- First-degree recklessly endangering safety (two counts)
- Negligent handling of burning material
According to the criminal complaint, Mukwonago police were dispatched just after 2 a.m. on Monday, June 10 to a house fire on Western Trail. The residence was fully engulfed in flames. Officers identified three residents from the house including the defendant, the defendant's stepbrother and the defendant's father.
When an officer spoke with Genzmer, the defendant said "he had been trying to set some items of clothing on fire inside of a laundry basket. The defendant said that he was inside his bedroom when this happened sitting on the bed," the complaint says. The defendant stated he had several friends over with him when the events were taking place, including a person he identified as "Jerry Alcala." However, the defendant could not provide names for anyone else who had been at the scene. The defendant also "said several times that he had burned his house down." Officers who had contact with Genzmer "believed he was having some sort of a mental health break," the complaint says.
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An interview with one of the other people in the house said "he believed the defendant had undiagnosed mental health issues," the complaint says. The same person "was very worried about the defendant and fearful what would happen when the defendant was in the community. (He) said he believed the defendant was trying to kill (him) and (the other person in the house)," the complaint says. This person also noted "that about 30 minutes before the fire began on June 10, 2024, the defendant took the batteries out of the smoke detectors."
While charges have been filed against Genzmer, he is not in police custody. Online records indicate a warrant has been issued for his arrest.