TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
According to an August 19 press release from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), the Department is investigating a suspicious house fire that was reported shortly after 5:00 a.m. early that morning. “Home owners reported that they woke up shortly before 5:00 a.m. to the odor of smoke. Upon investigating they found that an exterior wall of their house was on fire, as well as other small fires around the yard.”
“While they attempted to put out the fire, they observed an unknown male subject attempting to start the home owner’s pickup truck on fire,” the release continued. “Upon seeing the home owners, the suspect fled.”
When the Sheriff’s Office arrived with K9 Nina, the K9 and her handler tracked the suspect to his house. A search warrant was obtained and executed. The suspect was taken into custody on a preliminary arson charge.
The suspect, Aaron A. Baumann, age 40 of Merrill, made his initial appearance in Lincoln County Court on Friday, August 20.
He is being charged with multiple felony charges of arson, first-degree reckless injury, first-degree endangering safety and manufacturing/delivering THC (>200-1000g), and a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. Baumann is being held on a $100,000 cash bond.
A status conference in Lincoln County Court is set for Sept. 30, 2021, at 8:30 a.m.
The case is still under investigation, and the Town of Russell Fire Department, the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations, and the Wisconsin Crime Lab are assisting with that investigation.
The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.