Racine Reefpoint Marina boat fire; Kenosha man gets 3 years probation
Kenneth Koger
RACINE, Wis. - A 28-year-old Kenosha man charged with arson and felony criminal damage to property for setting fire to his parent's yacht in a Racine marina in October 2023 was in court on Thursday, Sept. 5 for a plea and sentencing hearing.
Kenneth Koger entered a no contest plea to five counts of criminal damage to property. Two felony counts, arson of property and criminal damage to property (over $2,500), were dismissed but read in for the purpose of sentencing. Koger was sentenced to three years probation.
Case details
According to the criminal complaint, deputies from the Racine County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to Reefpoint Marina for an arson investigation on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they spotted a 35-foot yacht that was severely damaged with "substantial burn and char marks on one end of the boat, leading into a charred and burned wood dock and boat protectors," the complaint says. The approximate value of the yacht was $90,000.
The owners of the yacht told deputies the boat was not damaged when they previously used it on Oct. 7 -- and the dock master said the boat was not damaged on Oct. 19.
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Boat arson at Reefpoint Marina (Courtesy: RCSO)
The owners of the boat are the parents of the defendant, Kenneth Koger. The father told authorities his son "had started two other fires of family property in the past," the complaint says. Due to this, the father put a tracking device on his son's car -- and tracked it via an app on his phone.
When investigators reviewed the vehicle locations, they found Koger's vehicle had stopped at Reefpoint Marina twice between 4 a.m. Friday and 5:09 a.m. Friday. The complaint says the first call for service regarding "a boat fully engulfed in flames" came at 5:08 a.m. on that same day.
When investigators spoke with Koger, he stated was at the marina on the boat around 2 a.m. He stated that "he went to sleep on the boat and woke up to flames so he ran to his vehicle," the complaint says.
According to the complaint, "the defendant changed his statement, admitting that he bought an orange lighter and a gasoline can at a BP station and started the fire on his parents' boat. The defendant described how he poured gasoline over the seats, and how he also burned the gas can be bought earlier."
Koger also indicated he suffered burns on this legs and feet and "that he had changed his clothing after the fire, and he threw the clothing out of his car window while driving," the complaint says. The defendant added "that he was upset with his family "because they got him chaptered during his last arson incident," the complaint says.
Boat arson at Racine's Reefpoint Marina
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Investigators also listened to a phone call between the defendant and his father. In that call, the complaint says "the defendant stated that he started the fire on his parent's boat."
The dock master at Reefpoint Marina wished to press charges for the damage done to the dock, saying "the approximate cost of repair would be several thousand dollars," the complaint says.